


Sailor Saturn: Guardian of Silence (English Version)

by XJaneShepardX



Series: Sailor Saturn Guardian Of Silence (Russian/English) [2]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Affection, Battle, Caretaking, Character Development, Confrontations, Darkfic, Demons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Magic, Memory Loss, Military, Multi, Mystical Creatures, Other, POV First Person, Sailor Mars - Freeform, Sailor Moon - Freeform, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Venus - Freeform, Saving the World, Science Fiction, Trust Issues, no beta read, sailor jupiter - Freeform, sailor mercury - Freeform, sailor saturn - Freeform, sailor uranus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26180005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XJaneShepardX/pseuds/XJaneShepardX
Summary: So far the idea is kinda messy, I need to think on details. But if short...The story takes place after the events of Sailor Moon S. Sailor Saturn (Tomoe Hotaru) doesn't turn into a baby, she remains herself but falls into a coma for more than one year and a half. And when and upon awakening, she doesn't remember those events, other Sailor Warriors, or even her own name. During her 'absence' a lot has changed: from time to time demons appear in different parts of the world and government organizations show great interest in Sailor Guardians. Now it's up to Hotaru to lead Sailor Senshi to victory over the nev powerful enemy and save the world. but before that Hotaru must remember herself and learn to use her powers again. And who knows, maybe she will even find her future love...(All pictures and soundtracks belong to their owners(!)(!)Sorry for my English(!)
Relationships: Chiba Mamoru/Tsukino Usagi, Chibiusa & Tomoe Hotaru, Kaiou Michiru & Meiou Setsuna & Tenoh Haruka & Tomoe Hotaru, Meiou Setsuna/Tomoe Souichi, Tomoe Hotaru & Meiou Setsuna & Tomoe Soichi, Tomoe Hotaru & Original Character(s), Tomoe Hotaru & Tsukino Usagi, Tomoe Hotaru/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Sailor Saturn Guardian Of Silence (Russian/English) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134428
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1. Awakening.

****  
**Me as Sailor Saturn :)**

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxRet2Ftewo&feature=emb_logo) **

_The infinity of outer space, beauty, admiration... involuntary fear of the unknown... We know so little. There is only one inhabited planet in the entire solar system, beyond which I somehow cannot leave, or I don’t want to... In the past I was a human, a twelve-year-old girl... Or rather, I thought I was her. Also had a human name. Then the awakening of magical power and the fight against the demon that had infiltrated me. What? Do you think they don't exist? Oh, my friends, they do. Entities from other dimensions or parts of the galaxy. And not all of them come with good intentions. But there are nine warriors, nine defenders, each of whom is an avatar of one of the nine planets... And I was one of them..._

_“Saturn...”_

_By a volitional decision, I came to oppose the forces of Darkness alone, correct my own mistakes... that I couldn’t keep the demon inside me, that I caused so much pain... Dad wasn’t to blame, he only thought about saving my life, he agreed to sacrifice himself, but I couldn't let that happen. I was ready to face the consequences and already resigned myself... At the last moment someone came to help, but it was already too late. I'm not the same now. There is no turning back. I no longer wonder what is happening on Earth, it does not concern me... Now I exist here, outside the human world... Sometimes only watching what is happening on the planet that was once my home._

_“Sailor Saturn, wake up...”_

_I fly past the outer planets of our solar system, each time unwittingly amazed at how huge they are... these gas giants... and incredibly beautiful. Neptune, Uranus, Saturn... One of the most beautiful planets, the only one with so clearly visible rings... These are the former satellites that have overcome the Roche limit and were torn into dust by the gravity force of a huge cosmic body..._

_There is an asteroid belt ahead and the red desert Mars with high mountain formations and deep canyons, and behind it should be Earth, but wait... something... something... something is wrong. Instead of the most beautiful, teeming life the Third planet from the Sun, something unimaginable and eerie opens up to my eyes. Lifeless scorched to ashes, burning... No... This is not the Earth I know, it cannot be Earth! Last time I flew here everything was fine, but now... How did it happen? What happened to people, animals, plants, oceans... No, no... No!_

_“You can prevent this...”_

_This voice... it comes from everywhere... But how? A bright blinding white star emerges from the destroyed planet’s horizon, which is the center of this planetary system..._

_“Wake up, Saturn... The world is counting on you...”_

_The sun is getting brighter, closer, hotter... My body becomes heavy, but for some reason, as the glow intensifies, the heat suddenly recedes, it feels very cold. First, fingers and toes grow numb, gradually the cold spreads further, slowly advances to the chest... I can't breathe... I'm falling somewhere... Try to scream, but can't hear my own voice..._

_“Wake up, Saturn... Without you, everyone will perish...”_

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGBW5KoFhfo&feature=emb_logo) **

The first deep breath is difficult, a powerful stream of white light hits my eyes. Where I am? What's happening? Can't move. Carefully I take another breath... then more... Fresh air tickles my nostrils pleasantly, pain gradually recedes, although my body seems to be wadded, fog in my head... Feel that I am lying on something soft, somewhere near there is a quiet rhythmic beeping... I managed to open my eyes not even on the first try, and it took a whole few seconds to focus the vision.

A large unfamiliar room in light colors: the walls are brown from the floor to the middle, and then turn into beige, the ceiling tiles are light beige. I am lying on a bed, somewhat wide for one person, my arms are on top of the blanket, a transparent narrow tube extends from my left forearm to a stand with an IV suspended from it, there is also something on my chest under white pajamas with short sleeves. I don't know what it is, just see wires from under the collar in the opposite direction to the device on the right. Also feel something on my temples, light, but tangible, there are no wires, but I can't even touch it yet - it's very hard to move my hands.

To my right is a huge open window letting in sunlight and fresh air, curtains pulled back to the sides slightly sway, hear someone's voices and a ringing repetitive knock, like... a ball? I don’t know... There is also a large TV screen at the window on a high bedside table, currently off, on the right in the wall there’s a door... presumably a closet, there are also two more doors... wherever they lead.

After assessing the situation, I asked myself the following questions: what is this place, how did I get here, and most importantly... who am I? A chill ran down my spine from the latter thought, spreading tingling sensations throughout the body. The fright that rolled over for a while made the weakness recede, restoring the ability to move. Raising myself up trembling hands with difficulty, I managed to sit up, and immediately the room floated before my eyes. Squinting my eyes and clutching my head, I involuntarily felt something on my temples. And as soon as the thought to shout came into my mind, the sound of the door opening was heard, and ... apparently, several people at once ran inside. They were saying something, probably addressing me, but their voices were muffled, and faces were somehow blurred, everything around was dim, I felt as if I was falling somewhere... And then darkness.

_“How so? You cannot!”_

_“Dr. Tomoe, this is a serious mistake.”_

_“On the contrary. I’m saving my daughter. She will be much better away from all this magic, demons and... from you.”_

_“No! Hotaru is my friend! Don't take her away!”_

_“It's for her own good, kid.”_

_“For her own good? Sir, do you really think so? You will not be able to suppress her powers forever. Hotaru is one of us...”_

_“And you couldn’t save ‘one of you’! Enough, the decision has been made, do not try to interfere, or you will face serious consequences. Leave us alone... Just leave us.”_

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV_cze239nw&feature=emb_logo) **

I woke up in the same unfamiliar room, but it was already evening outside, and bright lamps were burning on the ceiling. There is no such weakness as before, but still feel a kind of... disorientation.

“Welcome back, Taru...” a man's voice suddenly rang out from the right. “It's been so long...”

A white-haired man in a white coat sat next to the bed. Tall, thin, sharp facial features, big blue eyes behind the round glasses... He looked at me with some strange concern, smiled slightly, and I also wanted to smile back. It is not clear where the feeling of security and even affection came from. Why? Who is it?

“How do you feel? Does anything hurt?”

I frowned, listening to my own sensations. No. Nothing hurts, only... weakness. And again questions in my head... All the same: where am I, what happened, who am I? But as I tried to sit up, the man jumped up from his seat and returned me to a lying position. Unsharp, careful and at the same time persistent.

“Hey, hey, not so fast. Don’t rush, Taru... Everything’s gradually, one step at a time.”

“Wha...” I managed and shuddered: this is the first time I heard my own voice. And got scared: this man... did he call me by name? Does he know me? “Who are you?” I clenched my fists and propped myself up on my elbows again.

The man still standing above me froze in surprise. We looked at each other for a few seconds, then he slowly sat back down on the chair near the bed.

“Taru, you... it's me - your dad.”

“My dad?” all the same quietly I repeated in surprise, sitting up again. This time he didn't stop me.

“Yes. Don't you... don't you remember me?” pain was clearly heard in this man’s voice, as if someone had squeezed his throat with an invisible hand. This gave me a sting in my chest, involuntarily I turned away, feeling my eyes began to pinch. Why? I wanted to hug him, to say that everything is fine, but... Can't. Don't remember, don't know...

“Hotaru?”

“I shuddered. He speaks with me? Maybe...”

“Is this my name?” I looked at him again.

“Yes,” he leaned forward and took my left hand in his own, “you are my daughter, Hotaru, and I am your dad. Do not be afraid, it’s alright, everything is over. Tell me... do you remember anything?”

With my free hand I tucked my hair behind the right ear and carefully examined the same hand, without pulling the left one out of the man's fingers. My hands, a strange tube is still connected to my left, which hurts a little, are much less than his. My dad, I am his daughter... how old am I? What should I remember? What's over? Blackness... I don't remember anything. Absolutely. My nose stung unpleasantly from offense, I sobbed and shook my head.

“N-no... Nothing... Who am I?”

I don’t know if you can imagine what it was like for me... Won’t insist and tell you straight, it’s awful: don’t know who you are, what you are, why you are... Your loved ones may be nearby, but you cannot accept them, because at the moment they are strangers.

“Well-well, it’s okay,” he sat down on the bed and hugged me, “you have nothing to be afraid of. I am your dad, I am with you, I will not let you offend.”

“Dad…” I hugged him back, still crying. For some reason, I believe this man. He says that he is my dad... and I believe him, yes. Then maybe I can ask him? There is no one else to give me the answers. Moving away from the man in the white coat, I looked into his attentive blue eyes behind the glasses and, still holding his shoulders, quietly asked: “Dad... why don't I remember anything? Where are we? What happened? What is it?” I poked my right index finger in my left forearm, and then on my chest, hinting at the IV and wires, I wanted to take it all off, but didn't know how.

The answer didn’t come immediately. At first, we just looked into each other's eyes for a while, I waited patiently, feeling everything inside tensed, and he... He seemed not to know where to start, as if he was coming up with the right words...

“Dad?”

“We are in a hospital in the city Nagoya... Taru, you...” he looked away, “you know, you slept for a long time. A whole year and a half... more precisely a year, seven months and nine days... Five days ago you woke up for a few minutes and... then fell asleep again... until now.”

It felt as if I was hit on the head with something heavy, making me instantly distract myself from the thing in my arm. One and half year? How is this possible? How can a person sleep so much... Hospital... He thought that I wouldn’t wake up?.. But why? From what?

“How can this be?..” I asked in a trembling voice.

“You and I lived in Tokyo, once something happened...” It was somehow strangely difficult for him to speak. “There was an explosion... in the city center. We were too close.”

I froze on a breath, my hands clenched into fists by themselves. An explosion... I know what it is, like realizing that I am human. But... Don't remember the details. I'm trying to imagine, and yet... Thoughts seem to bump into a solid wall.

“I don't remember...” I shook my head and squeezed out with a sigh: “I'm sorry...”

“It’s okay, the main thing is that everything’s over. Now we...”

Then the door in the wall opposite the window opened, and on the threshold appeared a pretty woman in a white robe and a white cap from under which could be seen orange curls. A dark-haired brown-eyed man, also in a white coat, entered with her. He was... I don't know, probably, of dad’s age. How old is dad, I wonder?

“Dr. Tomoe,” the man nodded to my father, “I was told that you are here.” Then he smiled at me: “Hotaru, I'm glad to finally meet you personally. I'm Dr. Takano, the head physician here. This,” he pointed to the woman, “is Dr. Yamada.”

“Hello,” she nodded with a smile.

“How are you feeling?” He asked again.

“Good...” I said in confusion, and only then realized that I didn’t say hello, but it was too late. Although the doctors didn’t seem to be paying attention.

“Unbelievable...” the doctor drawled, “usually people who have been in a coma for so long, at first cannot move and even speak...” He grinned, but somehow strange, as if to his thoughts, and concluded: “You are really special.” At the same time dad strained himself in a strange way, but didn’t say anything. “Dr. Yamada will examine you, and your father and I have a few things to discuss.” And he looked at dad: “Dr. Tomoe, do you mind?”

“Yes of course.” He got up and himself gestured brunet to the exit. “Taru, I'll be back soon, don't worry.”

“Yeah...” I said quietly, looking after the men.

They went out into the corridor, and only me and this woman doctor remained in the room. Dr. Tomoe, it flashed through my mind, so he addressed dad... Does this mean that dad also works here?

The woman, on the other hand, carried out some manipulations: she shone a flashlight in my eyes, checked my reflexes and then the readings of the monitors near the bed, and ordered in no case to remove the IV needle from my hand until the liquid in the hanging vessel ran out. I winced: a needle?? I have a needle in my hand??? Then it is clear where this aching pain comes from... Then she pulled some black elongated box out of her pocket and touched it to my forehead. The box quietly chirped, the woman's eyes widened in surprise, and she exhaled quietly: "Wow, what a high level of energy..."

“What?..” I fidgeted with worry.

“Ah? No-no, it’s nothing...” she thoughtfully again looked at her strange object, “everything is fine... Tell me, do you feel any strange sensations like tingling somewhere or pain... no?”

“Only here,” I honestly pointed to my left hand.

“Well, bear with it, over there - a little bit is left, see?” she pointed to the liquid level. “When it's over, we'll remove the IV. Even your father can do it himself.”

“You know my dad?” Suddenly it dawned on me.

“We work together,” came the reply.

After that, the woman said goodbye to me and left, dad came back a few minutes later, he looked somehow dissatisfied, but in my presence he tried to act as if nothing had happened. He only said that he still couldn’t believe that I was no longer sleeping... After a while, when the IV was empty, he himself pulled the needle out of my hand... Finally. But he ordered not to take off the monitor sensors yet. When asked when it would be possible to leave, he replied that it’s too early to talk about it, in the next few days everything would be clear.

Then dad turned on the TV and handed me the remote control so that I could switch channels myself. We watched a cartoon not from the beginning, but when it got dark, dad said that I had to go get some sleep. This made me scary: sleep again? Even though a yawn had already attacked, and my eyes were closing by themselves, I still tried to fight it.

“Just don’t go away…” I asked when he got up from his chair.

“I won’t, do not be afraid, I’ll just turn off the light.”

Somewhere a switch clicked and the room went dark. Dad returned to his seat by the bed. We were silent for a while. His gaze was directed to the window, and I just lay there not moving. I wonder where dad will sleep at night? Not sitting next to me? It’s inconvenient and wrong somehow...

“Taru, are you sleeping?” He asked unexpectedly, distracting me from my thoughts.

“No…” I said quietly, looking at the ceiling.

“Why? It's just us here. No danger, no scary demons or bad people... No one and nothing that can harm you.”

“Still, dad...” I turned on my right side and stared at the open blinds. Demons... He tries to cheer up, but I'm not funny... Not at all. Exhaling intermittently I nevertheless quietly admitted: “I'm afraid that if I close my eyes, I will wake up again in a week, a month, or again a year and a half.”

“Don't worry,” his hand squeezed my shoulder in support, “this won't happen again. I promise. Do you believe me?”

Yes, I thought, but it's still scary. So you can sleep all your life... How did this happen to me?.. What caused it all? Do I want to know the details... Dad doesn't tell for some reason, apparently he was also scared then... Maybe later? Later? The main thing is that I have a dad... a person close to me... Maybe I'll see my mom too soon? What is she like and where is she?..

“Da-ad...”

“Hmm?”

I rolled over on my left side to face him:

“What’s your name?”

In the faint light of medical devices, he smiled slightly and introduced himself quietly:

“Soichi. My name is Soichi.”

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlX6RSF1ny0&feature=emb_logo) **

In the morning, when I woke up, my dad was not there. A nurse came and said that he stayed with me all night, then headed off for work early in the morning, but left a touchscreen mobile phone for me, promised to call during the day and return in the evening. The same nurse showed how the device works: how to turn it on, where to press and for what, but basically I studied everything by typing. And this is even interesting, you know, although on a subconscious level I seem to understand how such things work.

The next day I didn’t leave the hospital room, just watched TV, slept a little, even ate on my own, which again surprised the doctors. I had to endure a few more IVs and injections, but felt much better than yesterday. I even walked around the room and, one might say, first saw my reflection in the mirror. When I approached it, a teenage girl of fourteen was staring at me... so they told me, my birthday is January 6th. My reflection and I, respectively, too, had a pale face, sharp nose and chin, thin lips, large lilac eyes, black hair to the shoulders, bangs cover two-thirds of my forehead... In general, nothing remarkable, although I won’t lie to you, I liked my own appearance.

By the way, I didn't tell you, I mistakenly assumed that my dad works in this hospital. But no, in this case, ‘doctor’ does not mean ‘medic’, dad is a scientist, as he said - one of the senior employees of the Research Institute. Hadn’t specified which one yet and answered all my questions somehow evasively, but he said, I’ll understand later. Indeed, I understood... Later.

In the evening my dad came and brought me a bag of fruit and a big toy dog with a red bow. Also, three dresses from those that I wore before just in case (surprisingly, all fit), and also a new mobile phone! Also with a touch screen. Wow... The one he left me today is his old one for work, and a modern teenager, as he said, also needs modern gadgets. Everything was fine, but then... I asked where mom is... This knocked him out a little, and I was alarmed.

“Taru, your mother... She left... a long time ago... Eleven years before... before that explosion.”

“I see...” I drawled somewhat disappointedly. I was upset, because I didn’t remember her, which means... and I cannot be upset. I wanted to ask why she left and where, but dad suddenly decided to end this conversation:

“But it’s okay, you and I have always lived well together, you have me, and I have you.” He took my hands: “We are family, Taru, this is that matters.”

“Yes...” I responded, but it was still a little offensive. She left... from us... Why? What have we done? I so wanted to see her, don't even know who she is.

Over the next few days, I had to go through a series of various examinations and analyzes. For example, several times they took blood from my veins and gave injections in a treatment room, which I could already reach on my own. Once a boy was waiting near the door, who couldn’t calm down, he was crying that he was afraid, and the nurse couldn’t comfort him. Then I suddenly, don’t know what came over me, went up to him and said that I was afraid too because also have to endure the injections, and then hugged him. Oddly enough, the child calmed down a little, moreover, we went into the office together, first the nurse gave me an injection, the child saw that I was not crying, and then he endured his own more courageously.

“You are a good influence on children, Hotaru," the nurse said then.

“I don’t know, I didn’t do anything special,” I honestly admitted in response.

But then after this incident they asked if I want to help in the children's department? Mostly there were preschool children, and my task was, for example, to take them to breakfast, lunch and dinner, play different team games with them or read them a fairy tale... At first it was scary, especially when I was among these children for the first time, not knowing what to do... how to behave. Good thing, one of the nurses was there... the first two days, and then the children got used to me.

But the examinations were every day, and some strange ones, everyone who came out of a coma goes through this? For example, several times I was brought into a room that didn’t look like any kind of treatment room, they put a helmet made of plates on my head without any wires, asked questions... Also showed me pictures of very different content on the big screen: from calm landscapes and joyful children playing with their four-legged friends to fires and explosions, at the same time watching some monitor readings, occasionally quietly talking in their professional language... Whatever all this means, I didn’t argue, doctors are better know what and how...

At that moment, when the screen switched to space images, a view of the solar system appeared in my head by itself... as if seen in a dream, a tingling sensation suddenly appeared in the center of my forehead, the doctors watching the readings of the devices somehow perked up even more... when an image of a planet girded along the equator with many flat rings appeared, I involuntarily shuddered, the tingling in my forehead for a moment was replaced by warmth, and suddenly all the light in the room went out... then turned on again thanks to some ‘redundant power supplies’. As it later turned out, a second power outage occurred in the entire hospital building... There were suggestions that somewhere happened a weak earthquake, whatever it was...

Were there also sessions with a psychologist... or a psychiatrist? An elderly man with bald patches, in square glasses, talked to me in my dad’s presence, showed me photographs of the city where we lived, asked questions... Dad thought that it was better for me now to focus on the present and future than to delve into memories. I don't know why that doctor also accepted his point of view, but I... I didn't want to upset my dad, judging by his behavior, he himself is very unpleasant to remember the past... Apparently something very bad happened... But still, that exactly?

Eight days later, the doctors decided that they could let me go. According to them, there was not even a hint that I slept for so long... Honestly, I'm glad, all these examinations are very frightening, you know... I felt very good, which surprised my dad: he said before coma... in general, I was often ill and also had seizures... I don’t remember, unfortunately, any of this. Or maybe fortunately. Although I was warned that at first hallucinations like some sounds or dreams, as well as sensations, may occur. What exactly - they didn’t specify, supposedly everyone has it differently.

So, that morning, dad said that we would go home, when he finished his working day, he would pick me up in the evening. According to him, dad is a scientist, works in some scientific institute, manages many projects ... but he didn’t specify what, but he promised to take me with him to work soon. That will be great!

On that day I no longer needed to undergo any examinations, and was asked to just look after the younger children in the neighboring hospital rooms: take them to procedures, play, take them to dinner, read them before a quiet hour... The guys, surprisingly, behaved obediently, didn’t make much noise, didn’t run anywhere, didn;t break anything. When dad and the nurse looking after the children entered the playroom, I was just playing with three girls with dolls, the rest were busy with other toys.

“Hotaru, here I am,” my dad outstretched his hands to me.

“Hey!” I ran up and we hugged.

“Well, ready to go home?”

“Yes. Just give me a sec to take my things.” And went to say goodbye to the girls: “Well, I have to go. See you someday.”

“Hotaru, come visit!” one of the little ones exclaimed.

“Yes-yes!” added another girl. “It's fun with you!”

And the third girl just hugged me, barely holding back tears. I stroked her back, also feeling an unpleasant tingling sensation in my chest from parting, but... I want to go with my dad, see our house, start living. These girls will eventually be released from the hospital like me, and everything will be fine with them. Maybe we'll see each other again.

Leaving the playroom with my dad, I ran to my former room on the floor above to pick up the backpack with things, which were few: washing supplies, two changeable dresses and a stuffed toy - the dog that my dad gave me the next day after waking up.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DARPcB11hbk&feature=emb_logo) **

The bed was already made, everything was cleaned, so the room was ready to receive a new potential patient, and I must go home. I wonder what our house is like? Looking at myself in the large mirror, I smiled at my reflection. Well, we can go. Suddenly, my forehead was felt itchy, which at first I didn’t pay special attention, I just sweated it with my fingers, and when I removed hands from my face, I couldn’t believe my eyes...

...my reflection had a bright purple cross-shaped mark with a wavy squiggle at its lower right on her forehead. What is this... With a trembling right hand I touched my own forehead, my reflection did the same with her left hand. In the place of touch the skin was much warmer, but before I had time to get even more frightened, waves went over the mirror, and suddenly blackness formed behind it, and my more adult reflection, in a white and purple suit and with a gold diadem on the forehead, looked at me.

Recoiling with a squeal, I involuntarily plopped down on my butt, and at the same second the mirror became as before again. Shaking from head to toe, I stared at my normal reflection for a few seconds, trying to realize what had happened. Curiosity, nevertheless, prevailed, and I, shifting to my knees, crawled to the very mirrored surface, brought trembling palms to it, fearing that something else might happen, but then footsteps were heard at the door, and my father’s voice made me pull back hands.

“Taru, what's taking you so long?” the door opened, at the sight of me he was dumbfounded: “What are you doing on the floor?” Dad jumped up and squatted down next to me: “What happened? Look at me,” he hugged my shoulders, “head spinning?”

“N-no…” I glanced quickly at the mirror, but it was as if nothing had been there. How to explain this to dad? Probably it just seemed to me. “Just stumbled.” I got up off the floor and brushed off the hem of my dress. “It's okay, dad. I'm ready to go.”

“Alright...” he gave in and straightened up too.

Jumping to the bed, I grabbed the backpack and threw its straps over my shoulders, then took my new toy dog and nodded to bad. He held the door for me. Before leaving, I once again looked back at the mirror, but no more oddities followed from there. It seemed... right? It just seemed to me.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56tvDcuge4E&feature=emb_logo) **

The weather was just wonderful! Dad said that it’s the end of May now, so the warmest and sunniest time of the year is still ahead. He even joked, saying, it's good that I woke up now, it would be a shame to be the first to meet the withering autumn nature, turning into a cold winter. We took the elevator down not to the first floor, but to the underground parking lot, where, after passing several car lines, dad stopped and pointed to a black sports car, almost sparkling in the light of the ceiling lamps.

“Well, here we are.”

“Wow!” I involuntarily admired. “How beautiful!”

“Do you want to go in front or in the back?” Dad opened the right front door.

“Close to you!” I quickly ducked into the front seat to the left of him.

“Fasten your seat belt,” he ordered, starting the engine. I obediently clicked on my seat belt and we rolled out. But not home. Dad asked if I had a desire to ride around the city, take a walk in an amusement park, or just walk with him along the alleys along the ponds... Definitely, the answer is yes! I have missed and forgotten a lot in my life, it's time to catch up.

For some time we drove through the beautiful and clean city, went to a shopping center, then our way lay to the amusement park, where we rode for two hours on different attractions... yes, yes, dad also accompanied me. Some of the merry-go-rounds didn't let me in at all - they are only for adults. It's a pity. But never mind, there were plenty of others. Then we sat in a cafe - ate ice cream, after that walked further, dad bought me a large balloon in the shape of a dolphin. Then again, before going home, I asked for a roller coaster ride. And already sitting in the booth, I saw bad talking with a woman and her two children... Don’t know who she is, but... judging by dad’s behavior, they know each other. When I returned to him, the stranger and her children were already. To my question who it was, he replied that just a colleague from the Research Institute.

When the sun was already sinking below the horizon, we reached a residential area with large mansions and beautiful gardens, surrounded by metal fences. We stopped in front of the gates of a large two-story building, and when they opened by themselves, entered the territory. Taking a look at the cottage, which dad labeled ‘Welcome home!’ - I involuntarily exhaled in a voice. White huge with sloping dark roofs... the garden has an outdoor pool! And only dad lives here, and now so will I!

Inside the mansion turned out to be spacious and light: a large entrance hall, several rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, my father's office... And everything is modern, a lot of all kinds of different equipment. On the second floor there were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a library... My room turned out to be light and spacious, with a large bed and a huge panoramic window from floor to ceiling, green curtains, light beige walls. To the right of the entrance is a wardrobe with mirrored doors, on the opposite wall of the bed was a place for study: a large desk and a computer, next to it two high bookshelves. There were several boxes in the left corner near the window.

“Do you like the new room? In our former house, your old one was much darker, and I thought...”

“It's great...” Clasping my hands, I looked around with a sincere smile. “Thanks, dad!” And, jumping up, grabbed him tightly around the waist. Dad flinched in surprise, but he also hugged me back. “In those boxes,” when we let each other go, he pointed to the cardboard boxes in the corner, “your old toys and some other things. I didn’t touch anything, thought you’ll figure it out by yourself.”

I silently smiled, and we went further together to the first floor again.

After dinner, my dad and I watched TV for a while in the living room on the first floor. He sat on the couch, and I took place on the floor in front of the screen. It turns out that several people are looking after the house and garden, once at a certain time they come to clean up, water the plants, and so on. Before my arrival here, my dad lived alone, and spent most of his time either at work or in the hospital with me, he simply didn’t have the time, energy and desire for everything else.

Now the news channel was showing a story about some kind of disaster in the city called Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido. Close-ups showed the rubble from under which the rescuers were carrying the wounded, the reporter was talking off-screen, but my attention was more at that moment directed to the visual series.

“What happened there?” glancing at dad, I noticed how he strained for some reason.

“I do not know. An earthquake, perhaps. They happen often in our area.” He suddenly got up from the sofa and went to the exit from the room, turning around as he walked, warned my dumb question: “Will you excuse me for a moment? I'll be right back, have to make one call, just remembered it’s about work...”

I nodded and stared back at the TV. What is an earthquake? Because a frightened man with a bandaged head on the screen was talking about some fiery entities that appeared right out of thin air. Then they showed shots of amateur videos, but everything was blurry, some kind of flashes, roar, screams, dust and flying stones. God, I hope this will not happen here...

Dad returned and offered to watch something else and switched the channel. I didn’t argue, but noted to myself that I would have to read about these events later on the Internet. This is very strange.

And before going to bed, I decided to see what was in those very boxes in the left corner near the window. There were five of them: three large, one smaller and one more the smallest. Taking just it, I found some books and albums with photographs inside. Most of them were dad and me, as well as some people in white coats, probably scientists, dad's colleagues, because some technical equipment was visible in the background... I wonder what dad does after all?

Towards the end of the completed part of the album, more people began to appear, moreover, in my company. A bunch of teenage girls, probably a little older than me. Three of them had such long and luxurious hair that with a certain regret I ran my hands up to my shoulders. Maybe start growing hair too? My dad said that in the last year and a half of ‘hibernation’ my hair has grown back about the length of his middle finger. One of these girls, a blonde, wore two buns, from which the ponytails extended all the way to her knees! Wow... I guess she haven't heard of hairdressers since birth. I want that too.

Photos of this company involuntarily made me smile. Playing volleyball (I’m there, for some reason, all the time in the background and as if avoiding the ball), a walk through the mall, a trip to the planetarium... Everything looks familiar somehow, but I just have to think about when and how we could meet, their images immediately slip away... There was also one girl in the pictures, younger and shorter than me in height, with bright scarlet eyes and luscious pink hair! Like that blonde, this little girl wore two bunches, only elongated, like huge cedar cones, and the ponytails themselves were lush-lush. So, there are also separate photos, where only she... and I. Here we are in a flower field with wreaths on our heads, or we are cheerfully running alongside, holding balloons in our hands, but here is one photo in which we hug like sisters... And on it, this photo, at the very bottom it is written:

_"Hotaru + Chibiusa = friends forever!"_

“Hotaru plus Chibiusa... Who is Chibiusa?” I asked myself. What does it mean? Is this my... my friend? From that part of my life that I forgot? A strange name, or is it a nickname... I should ask my dad tomorrow, maybe he knows... What if I can somehow contact this girl? If she knows me. We look so happy in this photo... I will definitely ask my dad tomorrow.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ_qhdfYKHI&feature=emb_logo) **

_Night... There is a fog all around... but not ordinary... It seems to be concentrated on both sides of the winding road that stretches in front of me, and the path itself is only slightly hidden under a silvery haze. Overhead, heavy lead clouds shimmer with flashes of electrical discharges, a strong wind is blowing, but... for some reason the thick fog does not dissipate._

_“Hotaru!!!” echoes someone's childish squeal. I look around, trying to figure out who called me, but no one is around._

_Keep going... For some reason I must go forward. Can’t understand, don’t know what awaits me, but it’s necessary... I take a step, another, and one more... It seems as if they are watching me... they are invisible or are hiding in the clouds of fog..._

_“Don't come close! This is Sailor Saturn - the warrior of destruction!”_

_“Messiah of Darkness...|_

_“When Saturn awakens, the end of this world will come.”_

_It becomes more and more difficult to walk, with each step it is as if new and new needles of fear penetrate my body, I want to turn around and run away, but still try to fight it, although fear and doubts are gradually starting to take over._

_“When this is over, I will be destroyed too...”_

_“No!”_

_“Saturn, don't do this!”_

_“Hotaru!!!”_

_“Dad?..” a wild pain pierces me. With a cry I fall to my knees and suddenly realize that I cannot move._

_Voices in the fog are getting louder, waves of emotions roll over one after another, I can no longer understand where my feelings are and where are strangers’ are..._

_“I am the Guardian who brings Death for the sake of the Rebirth...”_

_...I scream with pain, fear and despair... I have no strength to endure it anymore... Help me... someone... please..._

_But suddenly the fog dissipates, together with it the storm clouds leave, and a huge light yellow sphere appears overhead in the starry sky, flattened at the ‘poles’, with brown stripes parallel to the equator ... and surrounded by a system of wide flat rings. Planet Saturn... here? So close? And right in front of me, with her back turned, stands a girl... She is a head taller, hair of the same length and color as mine, dressed in... a short white and lilac dress, a large burgundy bow on the belt, white gloves up to elbows with a purple edge, on the legs purple knee-high boots. In her hands she holds something that looks like a staff with a large white sickle at the end - the Silence Glaive... How do I know that?.._

_“Hello, Hotaru,” she said without turning around. “I’ve been waiting for you.”_

_I involuntarily stopped. This voice... it’s my voice! The girl turns to face me, and a ray of light falls on her from the giant planet above us. I caught my breath: it's my face! Only a certain presence of sparkling cosmetics makes it stricter... The girl has the same large burgundy bow on her chest, long white earrings in her ears, and on her forehead there is a kind of diadem with a burgundy stone in the center. She smiles affably, but for some reason I don't want to do this in response, moreover, in horror I involuntarily take a step back. Who is she? Why is she so like me? What does she want?_

_“Who are you?!” I shout, clenching my fists. Wait, I saw her in the mirror! Then she appeared for only a second, but now, recalling those events in my memory, I can definitely assume that it is her..._

_“Don't be afraid, Hotaru, I am your friend, your closest friend in the whole world. I am you.”_

_“W-what...”_

_“Now you do not remember, but eventually you’ll realize. You will understand and accept your true essence... You will remember who you are. I can only hope and pray that this will happen before the world is consumed by Chaos.”_

_“I don't follow...” her words completely confused me._

_She sighs sadly and slowly comes close to me, holding her strange staff in her right hand. Brings her left index finger to my forehead, I see a purple flash in front of me and feel a pleasant warmth concentrating at the place of touch. Eyes involuntarily close by themselves, an inexplicable weakness rolls over me._

_"A great disaster is coming, Hotaru, which only you can prevent..." Her voice grows quieter, and the outline melts into the deepening darkness. “You’ll have to find out what you are capable of... and what you are ready for to save humanity...”_

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCiD8evy7EY&feature=emb_logo) **

…to save humanity... to save humanity...

I sat up abruptly in my bed, breathing as if I had just run with all my speed somewhere... or from someone... I was shaking violently. What was that, a dream? Just a dream... From the surging fear, I didn’t even immediately pay attention to the sensation in the center of my forehead: pleasant warmth and tingling, concentrated at one point, giving off a weak violet light, just move your hand away. What is it?

With a sinking heart, I threw back the blanket, crawled out of bed and on unsteady legs reached the mirror. A violet glimmer faintly illuminated the room, as if a lantern was burning in my forehead. Looking at myself in the mirror, I involuntarily gasped: my own frightened reflection was looking at me, and the same incomprehensible symbol was shining on my forehead: a cross with a squiggle bottom. It glowed like this for a few more seconds, and then disappeared, as if it hadn’t existed at all, the feeling of tension also disappeared... But now weakness from fright rolled over. Just now something happened again that I cannot explain in any way. And this is definitely not a dream... There was a strong desire to call my dad, but the fear of his supposed reaction made me change my mind. And how can I explain it to him? He'll say it's just a nightmare, most likely. Or will he send me back to the hospital? No... I don't want that. But still…

“What does this mean?..” I whispered with almost my lips, sitting down on my knees and looking at my palms, and then turned to my reflection: “What's going on?..”

Let it be just a hallucination due to a long sleep that lasted for more than a year and a half. I was warned of possible temporary nightmares. Surely this is it... and will soon pass. Isn't it?

P.S. P.S. According to the zodiac characteristics of the whole nine Warriors I'm Rei, but as for personality I'm more like Hotaru...

**Soundtracks (with chapter episodes):**

1) Heart of Darkness OST - Main Title; (Hotaru's dream)

2) Dreamfall Chapters OST - The House of All Worlds; (awakening and voices)

3) Most Beautiful Music: "Eternity" by Franck Barré; (meeting with father)

4) TES 4: Oblivion OST - Sunrise Of Flutes; (Hotaru’s adaptation in the new world)

5) Nehrim At Fate's Edge OST - Breath; (strange reflection)

6) The Little Mermaid OST - Part of Your World Karaoke; (walk and way home)

7) Nehrim At Fate's Edge OST - The Woods; (the new home)

8) Life Is Strange OST Episode 2 Out Of Time - Track 6; (another dream, Hotaru meets herself)

9) Nehrim At Fate's Edge OST - Dark Echoes (Hotaru sees the symbol of Saturn again


	2. Chapter 2. New discoveries.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXFAGxa-MN4&feature=emb_logo) **

For a while I was still looking closely at my reflection, fearing to see this strange purple glow on my forehead again... but nothing happened. It felt scary, I couldn’t understand what was happening. Back in the hospital it just seemed to me... or rather, I thought it seemed. But tell me, if several times a person ‘seems’ the same thing, is it just an obsessive hallucination or an inexplicable magical sign? There is no magic. Rather, it is in movies, books, computer games... well, in the human imagination. But for this to happen in reality... No, I doubt it.

“What does it mean?” I asked the mirror in confusion, but reflection looked at me with the same bewildered look.

Immediately came the thought to run to dad and tell him everything... Came and gone as soon as I grabbed the door handle in my room. What am I going to tell him? There is no more luminous sign on my forehead... Just in case I jumped to the mirror again and with a trembling right hand removed my bangs. How to explain? I dreamed of some strange nonsense, and then I discovered... this? As if it was some kind of magic. But... there is no magic... in the real world. Possibly. Maybe it just happened again, the whole consequence of a one and a half year coma. It will pass. I decided to go back to bed and wrap in the blanket. I wanted to sleep, I wanted to tell my dad, I wanted all this to be gone. I don’t like this. I really don't. Ultimately, despite the fright, I still managed to fall asleep, there were no more nightmares that night.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1J2YIA9ZhM&feature=emb_logo) **

In the morning I woke up at about thirteen to nine, much later than usual. The night shock probably affected. When I remembered this, first of all again rushed to the mirror to study my forehead, but... there was nothing. Yes, nothing, no glowing signs or things like that. I don't even know... Could search the Internet for the meaning of this symbol, if it exists, but the problem is that I don't know how to build a query. I could draw it but then... Can I ask my dad? Just without tying it to anything...

Taking the clothes from the chair I left there yesterday, I went to the bathroom. Based on the muffled TV sounds on the floor below, dad doesn’t sleep. Okay, I’m up, I’m up. Though later than usual for some reason...

After putting myself in order, I went down to the first floor and immediately looked into the living room. Dad was sitting on the couch and typing something on the laptop open on his lap, and the TV was turned on just like that, for the background. I had to walk to the middle of the room and say hello in a low voice to get my dad's attention.

“Oh hey!” he closed the laptop and put it next to him, got up from the couch. “Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Good morning. How are you? How did you sleep in the new bed?”

“It was a bit unusual, but good,” I honestly admitted, deciding nevertheless not to speak directly about the night incident yet, otherwise you never know. I don't want to go back to the hospital or... worse, the madhouse.

“Well, it's a matter of time, you’ll get used to it” dad smiled and called me into the kitchen: “Come on, you're probably hungry.”

He put two empty plates on the table and stuffed something into the microwave, after a while he pulled out a container from there, in which there was boiled rice. He put a portion of it to himself and me, then from the frying pan on the stove he gave each of us a piece of fried fish with spices. And placed the kettle on the fire.

“Well, what do you say?” he asked as I popped the first piece into my mouth. “I tried to cook it myself in the morning... Although I am not an expert in this... Especially for the last year and a half I have hardly eaten at home. But it should be better than hospital food.”

“No, dad, it's very tasty,” I chuckled with a satisfied smile, involuntarily admitting that he was right. There is not much to compare with, but it is much better than what patients are fed... especially those who have recently come out of a coma.

Suddenly dad's cell phone rang in his pants pocket. Pulling out the phone, he glanced at the screen with a slight grin and pressed the call button:

“Yes, Naomi? Hey. No, everything is fine, I'm at home now, with my daughter,” and he sent me a smile. “What? No, no, the tests have been postponed for now... Yes, I heard about the H-15 sector. Yes, the activity has increased to five units, it's not... Wait...” He closed the phone with his left hand: “Taru, I’ll be back now.” And he left me to finish my breakfast alone.

On some side it was insulting that now I was invading my father's personal space. Suppose when he lived alone, he didn’t need to find places for private conversations. What's wrong with that on the other side? I still don’t know what this is about, but, apparently, this is again about work.

When dad returned, I was chewing on the last piece of fish. The kettle had already boiled, so there was time for me to pour the water and tea leaves into two cups and take out a package of sweets from one kitchen cabinet. Dad sat down in his place, took the hasi in his right hand and stared thoughtfully at his plate.

“Something happened?” I folded my hands in front of me and slightly tilted my head to the left, carefully examining father's frowning face.

“What?..” He even flinched. “No- no... Just some working issuers. What would you like to do today? I had the idea to go to the planetarium, today will be just an interesting lecture on the solar system, what do you think?”

“Cool!” I perked up. The word ‘planetarium’ was familiar to me from the past, maybe I went there before... Well, it's like, for example, you don't remember what you did a week ago at a specific time, but you know for sure that a cup is a cup, a tree is a tree, and so on.

“Excellent,” he was delighted, “which is good that in the morning I booked tickets for us very opportunely. At six in the evening.”

“Wait... already?” I asked in surprise, leaning forward.

“Well yes. You have always loved astronomy and world history at school, so I already knew what to offer you. But we will talk about further studies later. And there is still a lot of time before the lecture...” He looked at his wristwatch, then back at me. “So far, how about taking a walk around the city?”

“I’m all for it,” I nodded in agreement, and when he got up from the table, I immediately coughed softly and pointed to the cup next to his plate: “Dad, tea.”

He chuckled and sat down at the table again:

“Oh yes. I'm just used to that - immediately run on business...”

“That means I’ll have to correct the situation, Professor Tomoe,” I couldn’t resist an inexplicable kind laugh, which was immediately picked up by my father.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12f4g2hkchE&feature=emb_logo) **

Next we went for a walk around the city. Visited the Nagoya Castle and then decided to take a stroll in the botanical garden next to the Higashiyama Zoo. I haven’t walked so much... since I woke up. My legs felt tired, but my mood was wonderful. Dad took pictures of me everywhere, sometimes at his request other people photographed us together on dad's camera. The weather was sunny and warm. For a while I even forgot about asking dad about those teenagers in the photos in the album. Remembered only when we walked along the reservoir in which vacationers rode on boats.

“Can I ask something, dad?” I started hesitantly, continuing to walk.

“Of course,” he replied, looking at me intently with a slight smile.

I bit my lip, then took a deep breath and decided to ask:

“Among those things, well, in the corner in my room... there was an old album with photographs, and there were people on them...” I swallowed uncertainly, “probably my friends. Do you know who they are?”

“Unfortunately, I knew only names, and not all of them,” he answered, stopping. I stood beside him, still waiting hopefully. Dad looked me in the eyes: “They were your friends... your group spent most of your time on the street or at someone’s home, rarely came to us. You said those two girls with weird hairstyles had similar names. Usagi, it my memory serves me right... That’s their names were, only the youngest of these two sisters, you said, was called Chibiusa...”

“Hotaru plus Chibiusa are friends forever...” I suddenly remembered.

“What?” Dad didn’t understand.

“So it was written on the photo,” I explained, “it looks like this Chibiusa and I were good friends...” I paused, collecting my thoughts, and asked more quietly: “Do you by any chance know how to find her? This very Chibiusa.”

:Unfortunately, I do not know.” He sighed and, crossing his arms over his chest, looked at the water. “Your friends used to visit you at the hospital back in Tokyo, you know, and this Chibiusa came almost every day. Our move upset all of them, of course... and for some reason I didn’t think to find out how to contact them... I myself was in great shock after what happened.” Dad turned his head to me: “Even now sometimes in nightmares all this returned...”

I felt ashamed. Again touched upon a topic that was painful for my father. Maybe it’s not worth it yet, what do you think? I don't want to hurt him.

“There is a lot of information on this topic on the Internet,” he continued, “read it if you like, just… don't be surprised if you come across articles about demons.” At the same time, dad somehow grinned sadly. “There are a lot of assumptions, so far nothing is clear, although so much time has passed.”

I nodded nervously. For a while, we just stood in silence and watched the boats floating on the water, in which couples and even families with children were sitting. I am very interested in what happened a year and a half ago in Tokyo, but my father's reaction makes me wonder: is it worth knowing at all, what if I regret my desire later? And it's a pity that dad doesn't know how to find my friends from the past...

After a walk through the botanical garden, we returned home for a short break and lunch, and at fifteen to six in the evening we were already approaching the main entrance to the planetarium. By the way, it is currently the largest planetarium in the world, located in the city museum of science, designed for three hundred and fifty seats, and the dome’s diameter is about thirty-five meters. The building looks like a huge ball, as if ‘stuck’ between two tall glass houses.

We left the car in a nearby parking lot. I was already looking forward to the beginning of a space lecture, my dad said that now planetariums use holographic projectors, giving a three-dimensional images, and once upon a time everything had to be looked at domed ceilings.

“When was the last time you were in the planetarium?” I asked curiously when we got out of the car.

“More than a year ago, you and I went there together.” Dad looked at his watch, and then around, as if looking for someone in the crowd. “That lecture was about galaxies.”

“Wow...” I was amazed. “And then what…”

“Souichi!” suddenly called a woman's voice from somewhere behind. We both turned around: a red-haired woman with green eyes dressed in a yellow dress was hurrying to us, she was a head shorter than dad, and two children walked with her at a brisk pace: a girl with brown hair, who looked younger than me, and an even younger blond boy.

“Naomi,” he greeted, as soon as the strangers caught up with us, “what a surprise, I didn't expect... Hi Yumi, hi Katsu.”

“Hello, Souichi-san,” the children bowed slightly in response.

“And this is my daughter, Hotaru,” dad put his right hand on my left shoulder, “Taru, this is my colleague from work, Naomi-san and her children: Katsu and Yumi.”

“Good day,” I also slightly bent down with a smile.

“Glad to meet you, Hotaru, your dad told a lot about you...”

“Really?” frowning, I looked at dad. What could he tell about me and when? I don't know this woman.

“I couldn’t help but share my joy with colleagues that my daughter is with me again.” And, shifting his gaze to the woman, he asked: “And you... also go to the planetarium?”

“Um… yes.” She nodded. “I wanted to arrange an educational evening for the children, yes. We decided to go.”

“What a coincidence, we too,” Dad scratched the top of his head with a smile. The woman smiled, and these unfamiliar children and I didn’t even know how to behave. “Then... let's go?”

I blinked in surprise and followed my dad. What was that? He's acting strangely. Just think, met by chance... Wait... Naomi? Dad was on the phone this morning with someone named Naomi.

“Didn’t know Souichi-san had a daughter,” I almost jumped from the girl’s sudden quiet voice right into my ear, “he never spoke about you. Where did you come from?

“I… don't understand...” I was already at a loss.

“Yumi!” the girl’s mother sternly raised her voice. We have already entered into the building and now along with the stream of other listeners were moving into the lecture hall.

“What?..” the girl didn’t understand. “I just asked.”

“Da-ad?” I looked at him, unconsciously seeking protection.

“Pay no attention,” he whispered, “Naomi-san brought the children to work several times, we saw each other there.”

“I see...” I calmed down a bit.

The lecture hall was just inside that ‘sphere’, soft blue and red seats were lined up in circles in several rows around a huge central projector with monitors and control panels. Our seats were in the fifth row. I sat to dad’s left, Naomi-san - to his right, and already to her right were Yumi and Katsu. The girl still teased her brother for a while, and he grumbled with displeasure, but no one made comments to them. I assumed that it was normal in their family.

And so all the visitors sat in their places, the front doors closed, the lights went out completely, and the central projector immediately flashed. White dots imitating stars began to move along the domed ceiling.

“Wow!” Yumi’s voice came to me from somewhere to the right.

“…Today we will make a fascinating journey across the planets of our solar system…” said a calm male voice. Directly in the air above the projector the sun naturally lit up, and around it nine planets began to rotate in their orbits, appearing one after another. Opening my mouth in surprise, I completely focused on what was happening.

* * *

Well and now let's go back a little bit in time, or rather, to yesterday. Remember that evening news report of some tragedy in the Sapporo city on the northern island Hokkaido? Dad also suggested that there was an earthquake... Well, it was not an earthquake at all, and dad knew it... He knew a lot, but didn’t tell me until a certain moment. It's a shame, of course, but on the other hand I cannot say that I blame him. If we had changed places, I would probably have done the same if I were him. But well, we'll find out about this together, I want to tell you a lot.

In general, in Sapporo happened not just an earthquake. It was a real battle of forces of Dark and Light... At first there really were tremors, then a rift formed, from which a fireball with a diameter of about three human heights flew out, and a terrible looking creature began to appear from it, they simply began to wreak havoc and destruction. But a few minutes later seven sparkling lights descended from the sky and turned into five women dressed very unusual: white-colorful sailor suits with big bows, the sixth one was a little girl and there was also a man in a black-white suit, a black hat and had a long black-red cloak on his back. They fought using magic power. For example, a black-haired girl in a white and red sailor suit threw fire arrows, a girl in a white and green sailor suit generated electric charges ... Their leader, a blonde with unusually long hair, dressed in a white and blue sailor suit with red bows, finished the job.

Having dealt with the attackers, all seven again turned into silver lumps of energy and soared into the sky loud applause from behind followed. These unknowns have already become the favorites of many and a real bone in the throat for law enforcement agencies, who considered them potentially dangerous for the civilian population. Of course: they appear, destroy demons, and then disappear in an unknown direction, leaving behind colossal destruction. The demons, of course, did the damage, but who cared?

Nobody knew who they were, where they lived, their real names... Actually, no one would have recognized them, even if they met them on the street on an ordinary day. Magic was doing its job. Yes, I said that magic exists only in imagination... well, it turned out not quite so... which for me later became a great discovery. As well as who those people were and who I turned out to be... I remember the shock that I experienced when saw what those people are capable of...

So in daily life these are ordinary high school students. The girls’ names are: Tsukino Usagi, Mitsuno Ami, Hino Rei, Kino Makoto and Aino Minako, the guy's name is Chiba Mamoru, and with them also a girl who is half the age of their whole group, her name is also Usagi, but everyone calls her Chibiusa. There are three more, they keep apart, but come to the rescue in especially difficult situations, these girls are called Tenoh Haruka, Kayo Michiru and Meiou Seitsuna. The latter is the oldest and most experienced, as the wisest of the nine planets. Did I say planets? Yes, you got it right. But more on that later.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGs13k9UeFo&feature=emb_logo) **

In general, having dealt with the creatures that appeared, the mages in sailor suits immediately magically transported back to Tokyo, the city in which they live, turned back into people in a deserted alley and began to leave one by one so as not to arouse suspicion. Then they gathered in the park not very far. If anyone saw seven glowing lights descending from the sky, they certainly didn’t think about these ‘ordinary’ teenagers.

“Wow,” sighed a girl named Ami, looking at her watch, “well, we definitely missed school today.”

“Now we have to choose: either study or save the world.” Makoto shook her head.

“Yes, this is the third time,” Usagi plopped down on the bench, “mom will definitely give me a scolding.” And, pointing her finger at Chibiusa who opened her mouth, immediately added: “Don’t be happy, you will also get a kick.”

“I never said a word on this subject,” she pouted and stuck out her tongue. In response Usagi did the same.

“Girls..." Mamoru rubbed his forehead wearily. He was already so tired of separating them.

“True to their habits even in times of grave danger, that's good.” The new voice made them both come to their senses. A tall, fair-haired guy approached the company... More precisely, it was a girl with short hair who was wearing men's clothing.

“Haruka?” Minako stated quietly.

“Pluto sent me,” the girl nodded, “there are some important circumstances that require attention. We all need to meet tonight so no outsider hears this.”

“What happened?” Mamoru asked.

“Not here, too many prying eyes and ears.” She narrowed her eyes and quietly looked around, assessing the situation.

“We can meet at my place,” Rei suggested, “let's say around eight in the evening, will it be alright for everyone?

“I hope my mother won't put me under house arrest,” Usagi, who was sitting on the bench, rested her palms on it and stretched out her legs, “for skipping school… She doesn't know.”

“So find a way, Sailor Moon,” Haruka knitted her eyebrows, “this is important.” A nod to Rei. “Thank you. We'll arrive at eight.” And she left, disappeared as suddenly as she appeared.

“What does all this mean?” Minako furrowed her brow. The rest answered with puzzled silence, Chibiusa just threw up her hands.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlMBgV9r2-I&feature=emb_logo) **

In the evening, they all gathered at the Hikawa Shrine, where Rei and her grandfather lived, to discuss the situation. Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru showed up without delay, but Usagi with Chibiusa and Minako along with their... talking cats Luna and Artemis... forced others to wait for them. They were never punctual, and from time to time even forgot something several times a day. This is not about Chibiusa of course, but about the two older girls. They are good, kind, but... sometimes...

The whole company of ten people... and two cats... gathered at a low table in a spacious bright room. They drank tea and spoke in an undertone so that no stranger would hear. Rei had warned her grandfather that friends would come to her in the evening, it was a common thing... only the topic of the conversation was somewhat strange for an outsider's ear.

“This is becoming dangerous,” Haruka thoughtfully looked at the cup in her hands, “we still don't know what causes such an unprecedented activity. And the national guard only hinders us.” She slammed the cup down on the table, making everyone jerk in surprise.

“In their understanding we are a hindrance,” Ami objected, “but if we stand aside, there could be much more victims. And they will not cooperate with us... at least at this stage.”

“They are afraid of us, consider us the same threat,” Minako sighed and squeezed her hands tightly. “You know, sometimes it already seems to me that we are being watched. One wrong step, and we all find ourselves in some top-secret laboratory, where they will study us for the rest of our lives like...” She bit her lip and lowered her head: “Like Saturn...”

“What makes you think that this could happen to Hotaru?" Usagi hugged Chibiusa, who was clinging to her with fear. Haruka and Michiru exchanged meaningful glances from under their brows, but remained silent.

“It's been over a year since Dr. Tomoe insisted on transferring Hotaru to a hospital in another city, and we haven't heard of her since then…” Ami frowned and scratched her left cheek with her fingers.

“Until recently,” Setsuna interrupted, drawing everyone's attention. There was a tense silence for a few seconds.

“What do you have in mind?” Makoto didn't understand. The woman closed her eyes and lowered her head.

“Pi?” Chibiusa finally let go of Usagi, focusing fully on the Keeper.

“It's… difficult to explain in simple words, Small Lady,” she said, and already turned to Usagi: “Sailor Moon, have you noticed anything strange in the Silver Crystal’s behavior lately?”

“Y-yes…” Usagi touched the brooch on her chest uncertainly. “A little over two weeks ago... It was at night, it began to glow strangely, then went out, and since then it happens... Today was too... before we went to Sapporo.”

“The Crystal recognizes and unifies the essence of all Sailor Senshi. For the first time I myself felt unusual pulsations in space at the same time, they periodically repeat. It was the same today. It looks like a sign - Saturn has awakened.”

“What???” simultaneously exclaimed all five girls at the same time.

“Really?” Rei asked hopefully.

“Hotaru ... Hotaru has awakened?.." Chibiusa put the cup on the table with trembling hands.

“That's good news, isn't it? Mamoru interjected.

Setsuna nodded in agreement, lowered her head and clasped her hands, which made everyone freeze in tension. Artemis and Luna looked at each other in bewilderment. Obviously, things are not as good as they might seem. Haruka and Michiru also looked somewhat wary.

“What's the matter, Pi?” Chibiusa broke the silence.

She raised her pensive gaze and squeezed her hands tighter:

“Although the planet's connection to her avatar has been restored, I still cannot determine her location. It's like Hotaru is blocking all attempts to establish a connection.”

“Blocking?” Ami asked confusedly. “But why?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know that, Sailor Pluto has only guesses,” Haruka sighed. Michiru silently tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded.

“Although Saturn’s power begins to manifest itself again,” Setsuna continued, “she doesn’t understand what’s happening and unknowingly tries to shield herself from it. Hotaru didn't make herself felt in any way.”

“There are two options: either Hotaru herself doesn’t want to be found, or she doesn’t know who she is and simply cannot get in touch with us,” Michiru summed up absently.

“No..." Makoto breathed.

“What a horror...” Rei supported.

“Hotaru has lost her memory?" gasped Usagi.

“But how is this possible?” Minako wondered.

“If so... This is probably the aftermath of a coma," Ami wrinkled her brow thoughtfully. “Plus, we don't know where Professor Tomoe took her, and what happened to her after.”

“Hotaru…” Chibiusa sniffed and rubbed her eyes that were watering.

“Hey, hush, hush,” Mamoru transplanted the pink-haired girl into his lap, “we will find her.” The guy grabbed her cheeks, forcing her to look into his eyes. “The main thing is that Hotaru is alive. Do you understand?”

“Yes...” she said quietly, nodding.

“I will continue to try to locate Saturn, perhaps will be able to contact her through the world of dreams, as soon as I find out something – I’ll let you know,” Setsuna stood up, Michiru and Haruka stood behind her. “We need to find her before the demons... or the government military.”

“Military?” Usagi shuddered involuntarily.

“They're hunting all of us now. Not knowing her own capabilities, Hotaru can unwittingly give herself away, and then...” She paused, imagining possible outcomes, one worse than the other. “In general, let's not rush to conclusions, the main thing now is to find Saturn as quickly as possible.”

Michiru frowned.

“On social networks there is no information about her, as if someone... deliberately deleted all the data. Even on the website of the Mugen school there is no student named Tomoe Hotaru... information about her father is also missing. And he was the Headmaster.”

“How is it? Why? Who could have done this?” Usagi was confused.

“Looks like Professor Tomoe really didn't want us to find him and Hotaru," Mamoru suggested thoughtfully. “Can't say I blame him for this...”

Minako and Makoto exchanged glances.

“Why, Pi?!” Chibiusa clenched her fists and leaned forward sharply. “It's you! You let Professor Tomoe take Hotaru! We could stop them! Why?!”

“There was a reason, Small Lady,” Setsuna replied calmly, without even trying to somehow console the angry girl, and already turned to her companions: “We have to go.” She went to the door, grabbed the handle and turned to the rest of the group: “We will conduct a search, but for now try not to draw unnecessary attention to yourselves. Think of your parents and other family members, they are in no less danger now.”

And all three left, leaving the six Senshi and Tuxedo Mask in complete confusion.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGBW5KoFhfo&feature=emb_logo) **

It was already a late spring warm evening, lanterns were burning throughout the Hikawa Temple, but there were no people on the street. Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna quickly made their way to the exit and descended the large staircase. There was a car parked nearby.

“About the government and the military..." Michiru began uncertainly as they walked towards the stairs. “Do you think he really did this after everything he went through himself, too?”

“No,” Setsuna winced, but the woman coped with herself and calmly continued walking, “Souichi is not like that. He won't do it.”

“I hope so,” Haruka said uncertainly, frowning, “but as you remember, it was the government plane that took Hotaru away. What is the likelihood that Dr. Tomoe really...”

“Souichi loves his daughter and will not allow experiments on her!” Setsuna snapped, stopping abruptly. However, the second's confidence for some reason abruptly disappeared. “But to convince Hotaru that we are the enemies of humanity… It's much more likely.” She continued on her way, Haruka and Michiru kept up. They went down the stairs and reached the car.

“Setsuna. You never said why you let Dr. Tomoe take Hotaru back then. ”Haruka took a sharp step toward the long-haired woman as she grabbed the door handle to get into the car.

“Yes,” Michiru approached her from the other side, “what happened during your last conversation that made you change your mind so dramatically?

“Not here,” she turned to the high stairs, but no one followed them, “I propose to talk on the way home, we don’t need others to hear us.” And, gesturing for Haruka to step away, Setsuna sat in the back seat. Michiru took a seat next to the driver with a displeased look, while Haruka got behind the wheel and started the engine. The car drove out onto the road, and now they could be sure that none of their friends could hear them.

“So that?” Michiru spoke again, they were both still waiting for an answer. Setsuna took a deep breath and said softly:

“Souichi said that evening that if we didn't leave him and Hotaru alone, he would reveal our names to Jouhou Honbu.”

Michiru gave a startled hiccup, and Haruka involuntarily turned the steering wheel to the right, nearly provoking an accident. The intelligence department of the Department of State Defense... Does he have such connections? Although... considering what he has been doing before... Most likely.

“Do you understand now?” Setsuna's voice faltered as she met Haruka's gaze in the rearview mirror. “If I refused, other Sailor Senshi families could be hit, not to mention themselves. I had to let them go for a while... But we can't wait any longer. A new threat is coming that we have never faced before, Sailor Senshi of the Inner Circle will not have the strength to withstand this danger. It will take the combined power of the entire team, all the Avatars of the solar system, including Saturn.” And she added more quietly: “And maybe this time she, and not Sailor Moon, will have to reflect the main blow and save us all...”

Her friends were silent for a long time. Setsuna herself looked out of the window at the cityscapes sweeping by, again reproducing in her memory both the battle and the consequences...

* * *

“...a parade of planets is an astronomical phenomenon in which several planets of the solar system line up in one line relative to the sun,” the lecturer's voice was broadcasting, while the hologram of the solar system under the ceiling froze in such a position that the spheres denoting Venus, Mars and Jupiter. They were also connected by a white transparent line.

“Cool...” Yumi's voice sounded nearby again.

The projection started moving again, and the lecturer continued:

“The rarest type of such a parade is when all nine planets of the solar system are on the same straight line. This happened in the distant past. These events were predicted all sorts of cataclysms, even a possible end of the world.” On the ceiling eerie pictures of tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions began to appear. “But as we can see, humanity still lives and flourishes. However, in a month and a half we are expected by an extremely unusual phenomenon that happened only once in the past,” the horrors of cataclysms disappeared, and the projection of the solar system reappeared in front of the audience, only now all nine planets were in a line. |This time the Moon will also stand in a row, so a solar eclipse will be observed in a certain part of our planet.” The projectors displayed a corresponding picture: a huge black shadow completely covers the sun, leaving only a narrow light ring around. I involuntarily opened my mouth in surprise, somewhere in front I heard an admiring whisper. “In ancient mythology, it is believed that when all nine planets and the Moon line up in a single line, the Gates of the Kingdom of Darkness will open, and the Shinigami apostles will come to Earth, which will bring death to all living things...” The whole hall impressed by what they saw, was tensely silent, and the narrator continued in a more cheerful voice: “But these are simply legends. We are just expecting a very unusual astronomical phenomenon.”

If I looked at my dad at that moment, then in the light of the projector beams I would see on his face an inexplicable mixture of concentration and deep thoughtfulness... Why, it would seem? These are just legends... albeit scary.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXlgDqZD1iU&feature=emb_logo) **

“Mom, are we really going to die in a month and a half?” Katsu asked cautiously, when the five of us along with a crowd of other people left the planetarium.

“Well, baby, of course not,” Naomi-san smiled at him, “why did you decide that?”

“That man said that the gods of death will come and destroy everyone.”

I involuntarily shuddered. How could a small child have such thoughts at all?

“These are just old fairy tales,” I hastened to assure you, “this ‘man’ also said that nothing would happen, just in the sky there will be many... uh-uh...” for a second looked at the evening clouds, choosing a suitable expression, “many stars close to each other - and all in one line.” And with the hope of a correct explanation I looked at my father: “Isn't it so, dad?”

“Yes... that's right, Taru, everything is correct...” he confirmed and nodded confidently.

“But what about the demons on TV?” the boy didn’t let up. “And the warriors that are fighting them?”

“This is not real, you scaredy cat, there are no demons,” Yumi reproached her brother. Dad and Naomi-san exchanged some strange glances that have meaning only they can understand.

Upon getting to the parking lot, we said goodbye to my father's friend and her children, and went to our car, and those three, respectively, to theirs.

“Goodbye, Hotaru, I was glad to meet you,” my father’s friend wished me, getting into the car. Yumi and Katsu were already shoving in the back seat.

“Likewise, Naomi-san,” I bowed politely

“Bye,” dad waved to her with a smile and gestured for me to follow him. After watching the leaving car, I hurried after him.

“Cool lecture, I really liked it,” I climbed inside the car on the seat next to the driver's and closed the door, dad already took the key out of the purse, “by the way, Naomi-san is very cute... does she have a husband?” Fastening my seat belt, I looked at dad with the most innocent expression I could muster at the moment.

Dad suddenly coughed at this as if from embarrassment, the key in his hand went past the well and almost fell out.

“What do you mean?” he didn’t understand. Although nay, he understood everything...

“Nothing, just like that...” I don't know what suddenly came over me. A second ago everything was fine, but now somehow, I don't know, feel a shame, or something...

“Naomi is my colleague,” dad started the car, and we begun to leave the parking lot, “we have been working together for over a year, since...” He coughed and finished more quietly: “Since you and I came here. The new team made me feel very welcome, we all have good relations with each other.” Now we were driving along the roadway at normal speed. “I'll introduce you to them later if you want to visit the place I work at.”

"I would like... very much," I pressed the button for lowering the windows and began to look out the window. Maybe I really misunderstood everything somehow? On the other hand... Nah, it doesn't matter.

We spent the evening together again: were watching TV, dad showed me on his laptop some three-dimensional models of the interaction of molecules and energy fields, I still don't understand this whole area of physics, but it became very interesting. Dad said that maybe in a couple of weeks he will show where he works. So he planned a month's vacation to spend this time with me, but since I show such an interest in science...

"I would be very glad if my daughter decides to follow in my footsteps," he smiled. "You often said that you wanted to be a doctor in the future... The medical industry also needs scientists who can create something that will increase the life expectancy of people, as well as preserve health."

"Do you think I can do that?" I shyly looked away.

“If you want. I can provide you with opportunities, the rest is up to you,” dad pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head: “I believe in you.”

“I appreciate it, dad...” I hugged him back, mentally thanking. How great it is when there is a person around who loves you, who cares about you, who is ready to help and just treats you well. Even though I don't remember what happened in the past, whatever the reason that made me forget everything... I know that I am not alone, I have dad, but he has me.

Around ten in the evening an interesting fantastic film about aliens ended on TV. After that, dad hinted to me that it was time to go to bed, and he still wants to work on something. Okay, I'm yawning anyway... Just hope no nightmares are expected tonight... So, wishing my dad good night, I went upstairs to my room.

“Do not forget, tomorrow at twelve we have an appointment with Dr. Ogawa,” came his voice from behind. "Do you hear me, Hotaru?"

“Yeah-yeah...” I responded, already climbing the stairs. This is a psychiatrist, only different, not the one with whom I had conversations in the hospital. Dad talked about this before, that now once a week it will be necessary to go to him... For some reason...

I decided not to go to bed right away. For some time I was still sitting at the computer and looking at all sorts of things on the Internet. Including the explosion in the center of Tokyo. There were suggestions that this was indeed a magical intervention, especially now... Every now and then there are reports of some evil entities and good magicians who call themselves Sailor Senshi... whoever they are. For many these unknowns have become heroes, but law enforcement agencies do not really favor them. Is this a joke? A draw? Maybe they're making a kind of movie?

But there were also pictures of these Senshi... Girls in some strange clothes, I've already seen something similar... Only need to remember where... and also...

“Wait a minute...” jumping out from behind the computer I rummaged through the things still lying in the room corner and, having fished out the necessary album, rushed back to the monitor. “What the...” having opened the page I was looking for, I was stunned: they had exactly the same hairstyles as... those girls in the photo! Only faces are more mature. Maybe those girls were their fans? No, it's unlikely that they are the same people, those are much older. Except for the little one with pink hair... Something I don't understand. Tomorrow I'll ask dad again.

Also got the idea to look for myself in social networks, maybe in the past I had profiles with contacts of possible friends, but... There was nothing. That is, absolutely! The search combination ‘Tomoe Hotaru’ didn’t produce any matches at all. There were people with the surname Tomoe and even girls with my name, but neither my photos, nor mentions of me were anywhere. Maybe it’s because I ‘slept’ for more than a year and a half? It's a pity I don't even know the names of those people who are in the photographs with me in that album... I could try to find them... Even if my dad doesn't like it.

I dreamed of some kind of nonsense... At first I had to hang balloons somewhere, then an unfamiliar girl said that I didn't understand anything about tying bows correctly, got out a ribbon from somewhere and began to explain the whole point in detail... Then a spaceship, I fly to another planet to find there magic mushrooms, which for some reason it turned out could walk on two legs and talk... And then...

...then something incredible happened...

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV1pPgpcAVw&feature=emb_logo) **

_I stood among the low hills covered with purple flowers, around some tall multi-colored crystal formations, and whole stone formations soar in the air, on which also grow such bizarre-looking trees with somehow pink leaves. The sky painted in incredible shades of blue, yellow, orange... As if it was a very beautiful sunset... Only nowhere can I see this sun itself. Sky high I can see other planets... and they are so close that if you collect them all in one place, about a quarter of the sky will be closed from view. Does it really happen at all? What kind of place is it? Unlike the previous chaotic mixture of images and events now I am clearly aware and feel myself... as if I am not sleeping at all._

_I look around, then at my feet and only now pay attention to what I am wearing! High to the knee graceful lilac boots without heels and with white lacing in the front along the entire length, a rather short skirt with fringe the same color, turning into a snow-white tight bodysuit with short sleeves in the form of petals, on the chest there is a large maroon bow with a purple brooch in the form of a heart in the center, a long collar the color of athe skirt and boots, on the hands there are white gloves to the elbows, with purple edging, on the back of the belt exactly the same bow. There is some kind of decoration on the neck, something solid V-shape is attached to my forehead, and also... long pointed earrings. I remember! This is what the Sailor Senshi looked like! And this is exactly how the girl I saw in my dream before was dressed! The one that looked a lot like me. The only thing missing is the Glaive. Anyway…_

_“What the...” I carefully took a step to the right, from it right from under my feet white sparks rose up and immediately disappeared “Wow!” It was spectacular. One more step, another one... and another - and the same thing every time. “Neat...”_

_“Hotaru..." a woman's voice called from somewhere. Instantly distracted from what I was just doing, I looked around, but didn’t see anyone, however something pushed me to go forward, as if somewhere past the unusual trees someone or something was waiting for me._

_Large crystals around emit a quiet melodic ringing, with each step they soar up from under their feet and immediately go out white sparks. I'm not scared, not at all, but curiosity, on the contrary, pushes me further. I go around a few more rose trees and see a shallow river ahead with crystal-clear water, the reflections of which even hurt my eyes. An arched white bridge stretches across this small river, and behind it, a little in the distance, you can see a real fabulous palace! Sharp spiers, tall towers, the whole structure looks unusually light and floating, as if it were made of material that weighs nothing at all._

_On the bridge, her back to me stands a woman with dark green hair below the knees, some of it iggathered in a bun at the top of her head. She looks into the distance and probably doesn’t hear my steps. I want to ask what this place is, how I got here and why I look so strange, but first it is worth getting closer to at least start a conversation._

_I reach the bridge. This woman, three heads taller than me, still doesn't turn around. I coughed uncertainly, but it seemed very quiet as she continued to ignore me._

_“Um ... excuse me? Can you tell me... Hello?..” Clasping my hands in white gloves at chest level, I began uncertainly when I had already stepped onto the bridge._

_“Hello Hotaru,” the woman finally turned to me, forcing me to stop instantly. “Glad to finally see you alive and well again. It's been so long...”_

_She was dressed almost the same as me, only the skirt, collar and edging of long gloves were black, in her ears there were long scarlet wide earrings... And I think I understood what the thing on my forehead was – she had the same one! It’s a V-shaped gold diadem with an oval scarlet stone. The woman smiled at me as if we were old friends who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. I stood in indecision, not knowing what to do next._

** Soundtracks (with chapter episodes): **

1) Limbo OST - Succession of Fear; (Hotaru is scared)

2) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt OST - Outskirts of Novigrad; (morning, conversation with dad)

3) Naruto Shippuuden OST - The Day; (Hotaru asks her father about friends from the past)

4) Final Fantasy 13 OST - All The World Against Us; (girls discuss the situation)

5) Dreamfall Chapters OST - Storytime Conversations; (Setsuna announces the awakening of Saturn)

6) Dreamfall Chapters Reborn OST - The House of All Worlds; (Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru talk)

7) Gargoyles OST - Elisa and Goliath; (after the lecture at the planetarium)

8) Mass Effect OST - Vigil (meeting Sailor Pluto in the dream)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far I decided not to describe in detail the appearance and transformations of the Senshi, as well as the battles and demons - all this will later be described from Hotaru’s POV. First she is going to see them, and only later will learn to transform. Not immediately, of course, just like not immediately she will be able to accept the fact that she herself is not an ordinary person.  
> Thank you for reading! :)


	3. Chapter 3. An unexplained phenomenon.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8-zsZ63usg) **

_"You ... know my name?" I choked out, feeling completely defenseless against this stranger._

_“I do,” the woman nodded, “just as you know mine, although you don’t remember it.”_

_“How's that?..” I hardly suppressed the desire to retreat. Agree, it's not very pleasant to have a conversation with a person who knows more about you than you know about them. Right away feels a kind of... I don't know, catch or something. In any case, don't think I should show her that I'm scared even more._

_“We met before,” the woman continued calmly, “moreover, we were... friends.”_

_“F-friends?..” my heart skipped a beat. Is this someone from my past? Someone good? The unknown woman nodded and smiled, a sudden blowing wind slightly stirred her long hair and mine to the shoulders - too. A cloud of small silver sparks flew past us, as if it was a flock of fireflies, which completely distracted me for a moment: “Wow!” Unable to resist, I stretched out my left hand to them, and the lights flew fearfully in different directions._

_A quiet ringing laugh made me come to my senses: I'm not alone here! Wherever it is ‘here’ might be. Looking back at the woman, I saw that she was smiling, slightly closing her eyes. I also wanted to smile: I don't know this woman, but it feels like she is my close friend, she won’t harm me. Yes, that's for sure._

_“You have such a face...” Laughing quietly, she continued to smile, enjoying my reaction. “It's nice to discover the world of magic for the second time, isn't it?”_

_“For the second time?” Blinking in surprise, I slightly tilted my head to the left. “The world of magic? What are you talking about? This... where are we? With slightly trembling hands, I circled the space. And suddenly remembered how I went to bed in the evening, and what happened between that and how I ended up here... in this fabulous place. What prompted a frightening thought: “All this is... a dream?”_

_The stranger just shook her head._

_“If it was so, you wouldn’t ask such questions, but simply give in to what’s happening, without thinking, without analyzing the events. This happens almost always when a person travels into the world of dreams. No, Taru, this is not a dream. But you are sleeping.”_

_“What?..” I blinked in surprise and put both hands on my waist. I don't even know what surprised me more: her strange contradictory statement, or the fact that a stranger uttered a shortened version of my name. Only dad calls me so... well, as far as I know. And no one else. “Who are you?” I finally decided to ask._

_“Now I cannot tell you my name... Not because I don’t want to, but because you don’t remember me and don’t trust me.” The woman spoke quite calmly, however, notes of sadness slipped in her voice, and I felt a little ashamed. Although all these are facts: we don’t know each other, I... I’m a little afraid of her, of course, but... “But I will definitely tell you my name when we meet in the real world.”_

_“When we meet in the real world?” I repeated like a parrot._

_“For now don’t tell anyone about our meeting, especially your father. Some people may simply not believe you, others...”_

_“What does my dad have to do with it?” I interrupted sharply. Does she... know him?_

_The magical woman collected her thoughts for a couple of seconds, and then replied the following:_

_“If I'm not mistaken, you recently woke up after a rather long coma, your father was very worried about you, so... You shouldn't give him new reasons for concern, especially if there are none.”_

_“I don’t understand anything at all,” I couldn’t restrain myself from shaking my head and massaging my temples with both hands, involuntarily moving fingers to forehead and again feeling the V-shaped tiara, just like the one on the stranger’s forehead._

_“You will soon enough. There is too much to tell... too little time left... So far I just wanted to see you in person, to make sure that you’re alright...”_

_“Why?”_

_“Shhhh," the long-haired sorceress pressed her right index finger to her lips and smiled, "I'll tell you everything later, Hotaru, for now promise to keep our meeting a secret, okay?"_

_“Well... okay..." I managed almost automatically, confirming my agreement with a nod. For some reason, I partly believed her and was afraid that if I started arguing and demanding an answer right now, the unknown would leave, and I will never know the truth._

_My answer seemed to satisfy her. Suddenly everything around us began to blur and sink in an incomprehensible bright white light that came literally from everywhere. Panicking, I involuntarily shielded myself with my hands... The woman also disappeared, but at the same time I still managed to hear:_

_“Until next time, Taru. We all, and I in particular, are glad that you are with us again...”_

_I just wanted to shout out who she means by the word ‘we all’, but this all-consuming light became completely intolerable, I closed my eyes, feeling that I was flying somewhere, and when opened them again..._

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdSrcaR5ov4) **

...the outlines of my new room suddenly appeared around, where the morning light penetrated from the large window.

Is it morning already? And I am at home. So it was all just a dream... A very colorful and magical dream. For some reason I wanted to smile, and at the same time - it’s a pity that everything’s over. I rubbed my face, sat up and, suppressing a yawn, stretched. I remember surprise, admiration for the beauty of the magical place, fear and curiosity, and I also remember a beautiful magical woman, and I too looked like I was a sorceress...

Getting out of bed, I went to the mirror and stared at my sleepy reflection with disheveled hair. Yes, now I don’t look as cool as in the dream... It's a pity that magic doesn’t exist in real life.

“In real life, magic doesn’t exist,” I repeated out loud with a sigh, touching the mirror with my left hand. A pity, good help to science... it would be nice. Although there will always be those who want to use power for their own good and for the evil of others, there are enough destructive weapons in the world already.

After putting myself in order, I went down to the first floor... and didn’t find my father anywhere. It's strange. Is he still sleeping? If he had gone somewhere, he would certainly have warned me, right? But there’s not a single. No, most likely, dad’s still sleeping. Maybe I should make breakfast for now? The only problem is... I can't cook at all. Of course, I know how to turn on the stove, but what to do with the food itself, and what ingredients are needed for what... Unfortunately, I don’t know. But! What am I upset about, there is the Internet after all! Surely there are some clues.

I opened the refrigerator and began to examine its contents. The first thing that caught my eye was eggs in the honeycomb on the door. Maybe make scrambled eggs or omelette? Shouldn't be difficult... there’s a place where to look for recipes. Dad's laptop that was in the living room turned out to be password-protected, I could turn on one of the stationary computers, but going back and forth and spying on step-by-step instructions would not be very good. Although there is another option!

After running to my room for the cell phone, I quickly went online and, launching a searcher, typed in the query line: ‘How to make an omelette’ I immediately got a lot of sites with different recipes. I stopped at the simplest: just eggs and several types of sauces. I searched through the closets and, fortunately, found everything needed. Therefore, leaving the phone with the recipe on the table, I got down to business, periodically glancing at the screen...

...but it is not for nothing that they say: ‘the first pancake is always lumpy’... Of course, everything burnt and stuck to the pan. I had to open the windows. Immediately dad in trousers and a T-shirt abruptly ran into the kitchen and first of all shouted: “What's burning?!” but when he saw me at the stove, he exhaled with relief and laughed kindly, then advised me to open the windows. To which I threw up my hands guiltily:

“The windows are opened...”

“I thought it was fire, but the smoke detectors didn't work.” Just now I noticed that my dad was without glasses, and there’s a smear of toothpaste on his left cheek. Apparently he smelled the smell being in the bathroom and rushed here.

“Sorry,” I looked down and pursed my lips guiltily, “I wanted to make a surprise...” And, sighing heavily, I stated: “And I did.”

“Well, don't be upset,” dad came closer, “the house didn't burn down, thank God.” He laughed, and I frowned angrily. “Come on,” dad coughed, realizing the failure of his joke, “you go ahead and start cleaning...” he pointed to the side of the stove, “all this disgrace, I’ll wash, and we will cook again together, okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded, still feeling guilty about what happened.

Dad nodded approvingly and left the kitchen, and I put the frying pan into the sink, after throwing the burnt food into the trash, and began to scrub the stove. Fortunately, not everything has yet dried up. And when dad returned, we started cooking again, this time everything turned out much better and tastier, hehe...

By twelve o'clock we drove to the city for the first appointment with a psychotherapist, dad talked about this several times, and reminded me yesterday. Dr. Ogawa seems to be his name. I'm really not sure why this is necessary, but dad just put me before a fact. According to him, it was this therapist who helped my father himself to recover more or less after the events that were erased from my memory.

The unusual glass skyscraper, to which we drove up, and where, according to dad, the same doctor Ogawa works, to be honest, didn’t stand out outwardly much among other buildings. It looked like a curling parallelepiped, but didn’t strike the eye too much. I mean, Nagoya is a beautiful city, and for me also the first in this new life. ‘Neko Corp’ was written on the side of the building in large letters, which made me giggle.

“Why neko?” I asked when we drove into the underground parking. From the upcoming meeting with another doctor, I somehow didn’t attach much importance to the fact that in front of the gates leading under the building, my dad stuck out his right hand from the window and put some kind of ID card to the scanning device. The red light in front of us changed to green, the gate opened, and our car drove slowly through it.

“The founder came up with an idea two hundred years ago,” said my father, turning into a parking space, “she loved her cat very much, but didn’t dare to give his name to the company, which only started developing at that time,”. What was his name, I have no idea...”

“And what is produced here?”

“We arrived,” dad announced instead of answering, he turned off the engine, unfastened his seat belt and opened the door, “let's go, there’s nothing to fear. Dr. Ogawa is a good man, he won't hurt you, I promise.”

“And I'm not afraid at all,” I lied, getting out of the car too.

We walked through the well-lit parking lot along the long lines of cars to the nearest elevator. The cockpit was light and spacious, ten people could easily fit here, but what is most interesting is that on the wall opposite the entrance was a large screen with moving clouds, which made it seem as if we were taking off above the ground, although there was no lift noise and no sense of movement absolutely.

When we went out on the right floor, the first thing that caught my eye was a large screen on the wall on the left, where there was a video about the technologies of the future, and the logo of this corporation was constantly flashing. There are five turnstiles on our way, and in the wall to the right there was a large glass on which there was a checkpoint.

“Good day. Tomoe Soichi.” Dad introduced himself to some man behind the glass. “My daughter and I came to Dr. Ogawa, we’re assigned.”

“Of course, sir, come in,” he answered. “Ogawa-san is already waiting for you.

The red cross from the bulbs on the nearest gate went out, and a green arrow lit up instead. We went through the turnstile and further to the right along the corridor. Passing the soda machine, for some reason, out of excitement, I suddenly felt like drinking, and dad, following my gaze, promised me lemonade on the way back.

Several doors, which we passed by, were open, and I managed to make out people sitting at computers, in one of the rooms it seems they tested a large robot, it was repeating the movements of a person who controlled it. We passed by quickly, so I didn’t have time to look closely. I wonder what they produce here? Computers? Robotics? Nanoengineering? Then how could there be a psychologist here? Or is he a full-time employee who gets tired of work to talk to?

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2_O9xOtBN4) **

Dr. Ogawa's office was more like a living room than a medical office, those I had to visit many times after waking up of the coma. An interesting thing, but upon entering there, for some reason, I immediately stopped being afraid. A large, bright, comfortable room, on the walls there are paintings and curly shelves with plants, one of the walls was entirely hidden by a huge painting in Japanese style, there was also a figured pattern on the ceiling, two bookcases, a corner soft white sofa with black pillows, and an armchair the same color. There was, however, another door, behind which, I dare to assume, is the psychotherapist's working office.

The man who met us and introduced himself as Ogawa Izao, was probably of dad's age, only his hair was dark brown, and his facial features were not so sharp. Brown eyes, round glasses, a little stubble on his cheeks, dressed in a dark business suit. This man and my dad greeted each other like old friends... Oh, yes, he provided my father with psychological help. And then dad introduced me. Dr. Ogawa offered us tea, my dad and I sat on the sofa, and the psychiatrist himself sat in the chair next to it. To begin with, he asked me to tell about myself what I remember: hobbies, favorite school subjects, something about the city where we lived. Tokyo, I mean. But I had nothing to tell, because my whole life is a blank sheet.

Then Dr. Ogawa brought in a stack of cards with incomprehensible images - just a set of paint strokes - and offered to describe what I see here. But already picking up the first card, I shook my head in displeasure:

“Some kind of abstraction.”

“I know,” Ogawa-san agreed, “but try to use your fantasy? Imagine that these are drawings of a small child that he might want to portray here.”

“O-okay...” I looked closely at the first scattering of paints: “This looks like... a phoenix over a rainbow?”

“Alright, next.”

“Mmm… Fireworks. And here... some figures.”

In the same vein, I called what was ‘drawn’ on the remaining eight cards, although didn't understand why it was for. Something like this happened in the hospital, when I was sitting in front of the screen in a helmet with wires, and they showed me different images, fixing something on the machines. True, there was no such equipment here.

“You have a vivid imagination,” concluded the therapist when I named ‘what I saw’ on the last card.

“You yourself said to use imagination, Ogawa-san…” The compliment was, of course, nice, but still these images didn’t show exactly what I called. These are not even children's drawings. All the same, first of all, incomprehensible abstractions... it is not clear why.

“But you named very interesting ideas,” he objected, “each person sees something of their own in these blots. Sometimes, even very bad things. You, despite the tragic events that led to the memory loss, think very positively.”

“I don’t remember any of that, Ogawa-san,” I just had to shrug. Be natural, Hotaru, not a word about last night's dream. You promised that woman. On the other hand, she wasn’t real, but that dream... I liked it so much... I would like to see her again. And so... “Dad said, no one can explain it. I read articles on the Internet, but it all boiled down to one thing: either a terrorist attack, or... magic. Do you think magic exists?” I blurted it out without thinking. It's not good to ask questions like that to an adult... I guess. But, oddly enough, the therapist wasn’t at all offended:

“There are many things in the world that cannot be explained, at least immediately,” he answered calmly, “something can be substantiated, and some things remain mysteries forever. Do you believe in magic, Hotaru? Real magic, not sleight of hand.”

Dad on the right made a weird coughing sound, but the psychiatrist ignored him. Not knowing what to say to such a tricky question, I just shrugged my shoulders and tried to answer as honestly as possible:

“I understand that magic exists in our imagination, Ogawa-san, in reality it only takes place in films, computer games, books, dreams... And those inexplicable riddles... they are just not fully solved. Isn’t it so?” Bit my tongue in time, so as not to blurt out to the doctor about my own magical dreams. And also those hallucinations that happened at first... “On the other hand, people believe in God and higher powers, but no one can prove their existence. Probably same thing with unexplained phenomena.”

“For your age, you’re already thinking in a very adult way.” Ogawa-san adjusted his glasses and rewarded me with a satisfied smile.

“She was always like that,” my dad proudly supported me, “a genius from birth.”

“I'm not surprised, Tomoe-san,” the psychiatrist agreed and again turned to me: “Hotaru, can you tell me about your hobbies? What do you like to do?”

I shrugged my shoulders in response:

“It's hard to just answer, Ogawa-san… You could say I… My new self is only a few weeks old. But it’s definitely very interesting what my dad’s doing, sometimes we do calculations together, build scientific charts...” Spread my hands to the sides: “It's like mathematics. I also like to read and walk... But what I liked to do before - I don't remember. Dad said I wanted to be a doctor. While I was in the hospital, I helped nurses and looked after the children there, but...”

“But?”

“I don’t know…” Now for some reason I had no desire to be secretive. This calm and endearing person awakened the desire to share my thoughts with him. Don’t know why. Where did my distrust go? “Now it feels like those fourteen years didn’t exist at all, and this...” Biting my lip, I glanced at my dad and, squeezing my left hand with my right one, reluctantly admitted with a sigh: “It's a shame a little.”

“Do you want to remember your past life, Hotaru?" the therapist's question made me tense. Or was it a sudden movement of the right... Ogawa-san barely waved his left index finger to my father and added, "Now that you have a new life, and nothing connects you with the past, which can only hurt... and bring pain to your loved ones."

The sofa beneath me seemed to float away, and the room began to spin. Do I want to remember?.. Really, I don't know. On the one hand - yes, of course, at least to understand what happened to us, and where those incomprehensible hallucinations come from. But on the other... It’s very hard and scary for dad to talk about it, and I don’t want him to suffer. We live in another city, nothing connects me with Tokyo, there are no even contacts of friends from the past left, only photos... but unfortunately, this is not enough to search. I want to become a scientist or a physician, and my dad said that he could help... We need to live on, the past has passed... And yet...

“I'm not sure…” I finally managed quietly.

The therapist smiled and adjusted his glasses again.

“So, we have determined the direction of our further work,” he said in a soft but confident voice. “Now how about playing a little game?” Ogawa-san walked over to the desk, pulled out a relatively small box from the drawer, and returned to his seat and handed it to me. Inside there were many different photographs: beautiful natural places, city buildings, people hurrying through the streets, an amusement park, a space rocket flying up into the sky, a laughing girl with a small puppy in her arms, the coast, and so on. In general, a wide variety of pictures. “I will name words, and you try to choose a photo with which this or that word is associated with you. For example, ‘peace’,” and the therapist took a photo of the sunset on the coast. I nodded, and he began to list the words that came to mind...

…Well, we left Dr. Ogawa's office after about an hour. After playing with words and pictures, we again talked about who I would like to become in the future. I repeated myself again about the profession of a doctor, and also mentioned my father's suggestion that people also need developers of new medicines and devices to improve the quality of life. Can’t yet decide which direction to choose, but know one thing for sure, I want to connect my life with medicine. And dad fully supports me in this. We agreed on the next meeting next week at exactly the same time, and before leaving, Dr. Ogawa gave me, so to speak, homework: to think whether it is worth trying to learn the unpleasant and painful past, or is it better, after all, to focus on the future. A very interesting question to ponder, so far I have no definite answer. And dad, after all, bought me an orange soda, as promised!

* * *

And then, two days later, suddenly... it happened. Everything started somehow relatively harmless, even good at first. Dad offered to have a picnic in the park, for some reason he also invited that very Matsui Naomi-san with her children: the eldest girl Yumi and the youngest boy Katsu. Who we first met at the planetarium, remember? According to my dad, they had something to discuss about some new project, and I could spend time with the children about my age. In the past my friend, as dad said, was a girl several years younger than me. That same Chibiusa...

“So, I was right?” I asked in the forehead when at breakfast dad announced his proposal. "You and this Naomi-san... you two... are a thing?"

“Taru!” father tried to put on a stern look, but he couldn’t completely hide his embarrassment.

“In a good sense, dad,” I surrendered, feeling a certain prick of jealousy, “you have never tell me about her… until that meeting.”

“I haven't told you a lot, too little time has passed. Would it be better if I dumped the whole mountain of information on you at once? About my work, about acquaintances and friends, about how...” He suddenly stopped and waved his hand: “It doesn't matter.” Dad adjusted his glasses and glared at me with a direct questioning glance: “And how would you take all the information? Just waking up from a long sleep?”

“I get it...” I muttered, looking at my cup of tea.

So, on the morning of that very day, we picked up Naomi-san and her two children and then went to the park. The three of them live in the city center, as I understand they have a large apartment, not a house like ours, but the garden around is very pretty, in a traditional Japanese style.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTN9yzP6lr4) **

Dad called them ten minutes before our arrival, and by the time we entered the courtyard, all three were already waiting for us on the street. I had to move into the back seat with those two children so that their mother would take the front seat next to my father.

There were a lot of people in the central part of the city park, and we had to go a little further so that no one interfered with us, and we, accordingly, also didn’t bother anyone. We spread a blanket under a large tree, laid out groceries, the girl Yumi brought a ball along, and her younger brother Katsu took a kite that he wanted ... to fly with my dad!

In general, these two for some reason more and more often called ny dad ‘Uncle Soichi’, and when I asked why, Yumi replied that my dad and their mother were dating. And still somehow carelessly asked: "Didn't you know?" I didn't... I didn't know at all.

“Hotaru!” this Naomi-san's son jumped up to me. “Uncle Soichi is calling for flying kites, let's go!”

“Thank you, Katsu, but… I don’t want to…” I tried to make my voice as neutral as possible, although resentment was already boiling in my chest. “I'll just walk alone...” Dad did not tell me that he and these people were so close!

“Taru, what happened?..” dad came up to us, in his hands was a large painted kite. It was then that I exploded for some inexplicable reason:

“Dad, you have someone to play with and someone to date, and I just want to take a stroll alone, can I do that?!” and ran away. He called out to me, wanted to run after me, but suddenly Naomi-san's voice stopped him for some reason. I didn’t hear their further conversation.

For a while I just wandered along the park paths, angry at my dad and at myself too. The sunny warm weather was no longer pleasing, my mood was bad, and now also came realization that I got lost in this large park! And there’s no one to ask for directions. Two cyclists passed by, but there are no more people around. Although it may be good. Is it worth coming back at all if... dad has someone to spend time with.

I sat down on the grass and hugged my knees with my hands, lowering my forehead to them. Let them have fun, I feel good alone... dad. If you wanted to spend the day with them, why drag me along? For me to look at all this? Soft steps came behind my back, they are getting closer and closer... For a moment I thought it was dad, but, turning around, I saw Naomi-san walking in my direction. How did she find me?! Pursing my lips in displeasure, I quickly turned away again.

“Taru?” She called.

“Hotaru, ma'am,” I corrected in displeasure, not looking at her, “only friends can call me by a short name.”

The woman sat down to my right, involuntarily forcing me to draw attention to her. What does she want? Is she going to lecture me, like they say, you can't talk to your father like that and so on? Like I don’t know that myself. But... Why didn't he do anything? Why did he call them at all? It’s enough that we have each other, isn’t it? Apparently no, since...

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qLlKJ7TdzY) **

“I understand you think I’m trying to stand between your father and you, but...”

“Isn't that so?” I interrupted, pressing knees closer to my chest and squeezing my fingers. She just shook her head and sighed softly, sadly.

“I would never even dare to think about this: trying to separate a child and a parent,” she spoke again. “Personally in the childhood I went through this, only dad left our family.” She smiled sadly: “Fell in love with another woman, can you imagine? He abandoned us... became a father to her daughter. And my mother and I have ceased to be for him, one might say. He was extremely cold with me, because I didn’t want to accept his new wife. Won't wish such pain to anyone.”

For some reason I felt ashamed. If she's telling the truth, of course.

“Do you remember your mother, Hotaru?"

“No,” I shook my head, “dad said she left many years ago. I even don’t know why. Dad doesn't say anything.”

“Maybe he doesn't want to upset you. Sometimes people part ways for their own personal reasons, and children struggle to keep their parents together. As a result, everyone suffers.”

“What about Katsu and Yumi?” I asked uncertainly, already looking my interlocutor in the eyes. “Where is their dad?”

“Hopefully watching them from up there.” She raised her left index finger to the sky and reluctantly explained, “A car accident five years ago.”

“Sorry...” I looked away guiltily.

“When we arrived at the hospital, he was still alive, but… after a few days…” Naomi-san sighed heavily and suddenly changed the subject: “That's why I understand your dad, you know. He came to work at our institute already in the position of a leader. Devoted himself entirely to work and finding a way to get you out of your coma as soon as possible. I sometimes sat with you while you slept...”

“Really?” I was already at a loss from such a statement.

“Tried to help as much as I could,” the woman nodded. “Soichi's biggest fear was the thought that you might not wake up. But in the last few months we saw positive dynamics, and your dad literally came to life.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “We didn’t know exactly when you would wake up, but there was a hope that it would happen.” The woman moved closer to me and said in a low voice, “You are everything to him, Hotaru. He loves you more than anything in the world, and no one else can replace you.”

A lump came to my throat, and my eyes involuntarily pinched. Yes, I know that my dad loves me, and I love him too, it's just... Just to see how he plays with other children, and how they are drawn to him, it turned out... Well, it's unpleasant.

“Hotaru, believe me, I'm not trying to stand between you and your dad. Honestly. Moreover, I want you and I to become friends.”

Then I involuntarily widened my eyes and opened my mouth. Friends? The woman with a smile extended her hand to me, and after a few seconds of doubt, I gave her mine in return. If she really wants to be friends with me, then... probably nothing to worry about, right? She won’t push me away from my dad. A friend won't hurt a friend, right?

“Okay, let's go back,” Naomi-san suddenly suggested, “until the whole company starts looking for us.”

I nodded with a smile and followed the woman to where her children and my dad were waiting for us. Honestly, I somehow felt better after our conversation. Even Yumi and Katsu weren't so annoying anymore when they talked to dad. Probably, on my part, such behavior may seem selfish to someone, but I have no one but father, and to see how someone is trying to get between us, the thought that he will suddenly turn away from me, although we know each other for a very short time... It's still somehow offensive.

The rest of the day went very well. By the way, Naomi-san suggested that if I suddenly want to do an internship at the research institute where she and my dad work, she can become my mentor. To this, I didn't even know what to say, except for admiring words of gratitude.

In the evening, we also went to the cinema to watch a movie about aliens. It was very spectacular! And when we left the cinema, it was already completely dark on the street. Before going home, we brought... or rather, we had to bring Naomi-san and her children to their house. We drove slowly, without disrupting the speed of the flow of cars, pleasant music was playing in the speakers, Yumi was telling me about funny incidents from school life (as I understand, she was a people person, not a quiet one like me), her brother was dozing between us, dad and Naomi- san were talking about something... And then it happened. Dad's phone rang.

“Tomoe,” he said, pressing a button on the headset worn on his left ear. These are used to talk on the phone without holding it in hands. While moving, the driver is simply obliged to follow this rule. “What?” Dad didn’t understand, his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “What…” In the rear-view mirror, even in the dark, you could see the horror reflected on his face. “What?!!” The last exclamation made everyone flinch, including me. “Yes... Yes, I understand. I'll be there in ten minutes.”

“What is it?” Naomi-san was worried.

“Something happened in Neko Corp. Code red, we need to go there urgently...”

“My God...” Naomi-san became seriously scared, “what could have happened?”

“Node red? Katsu asked in surprise and rubbed his eyes. “Mom, can a node be red?”

“Code red, idiot,” Yumi nudged him with her elbow, “it means the highest level of danger.”

“The highest level of danger? But why?” here already I felt uneasy. Neko Corp... this is where we went to see Dr. Ogawa...

“This is to be found out.” Dad moved to the far right lane and increased speed. “Taru, Katsu, Yumi,” he turned to us, “now we will have to visit one place, and I beg you to stay in the car, okay? Under no circumstances leave outside until I tell you.”

“What happened, dad?” I leaned forward a little.

“Taru, just promise.” He cut off, overtaking the red car in front of us.

“Okay…” I drawled uncertainly. No matter what happened, I'm already scared. Code red is, to put it mildly, not good, and to be more precise - an emergency. Fire? Collapse? An earthquake that we didn't feel? And most importantly, why are they calling dad and not the emergency services?

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6qt_70iGk4) **

When we got there, I didn't even immediately believe that all this was really happening. Within a radius of about a kilometer from the Neko Corp skyscraper, everything was cordoned off, and it looked... to be honest, like after the bombing in films or after a strong local earthquake. Damaged buildings, local fires, cars with flashing lights, in some places on the buildings cracks in the walls were clearly visible as well, windows were smashed, and it was strangely bright, despite being very late.

We noticed a blue concentrated glow in the sky at the entrance to the disaster site... I also thought that it was some kind of super-powerful searchlight somewhere on the roof... And you know, it really was! Rather, I thought so, what it actually was... I didn't even know what to think at first. In general, judge for yourself, right above the dilapidated building of the Neko Corp, high, high above its roof, a real blue and white funnel has formed in the clouds! It spun slowly in a clockwise direction, and a faint beam of white light stretched straight from the roof to its center.

“Wow!” Katsu whispered, looking out from my side.

“Children, move away from the windows," ordered Naomi-san. Without questions, Yumi and I moved to Katsu, who was sitting in the middle.

We drove through the second round of the cordon and stopped almost next to the building. There were also several vans and three ambulances parked nearby. Dad stopped the car and, turning off the engine, turned to us:

“So, remember our agreement? Stay in the car, not a step outside, okay?”

“And where are you… going?” I frankly didn’t like where everything was going. Why did we come here? Why did dad get a call? It feels bad, as if something important is hiding from me...

“I'll be back soon. Taru,” he strictly pointed at me, “stay in the car.” And he went out, slamming the door softly. Naomi-san followed.

“Mom…” Yumi just started, but the woman, before closing her door, quietly ordered:

“Do as Uncle Soichi said.” And she was also gone.

The three of us were left in the car in the middle of a real disaster zone. What's going on here? Where does this strange glow in the sky come from and... why am I so scared? It's not even about what's going on around, but... I don't know how to explain, but since we arrived here, I couldn’t stop feeling a kind of panic fear that something even more terrible might happen than what is already going on... whatever happened here before we arrived. And this feeling grew stronger as we approached the Neko Corp building, and now my heart was about to jump out of my chest, and my whole body was beating with a slight tremor. Outwardly inconspicuous, I hope.

“Zombies did it, not otherwise,” Katsu concluded in the voice of an expert.

“There is no zombies, you fool, it’s probably just a local earthquake," Yumi hissed in response, pushing her younger brother in the side.

“Oh, yeah?” The boy retorted, shoving his older sister back. “And what is this light over that house? Surely a portal to the zombie world! What do you think, Hotaru?” he turned to me.

“Hmm? Can’t even imagine…” I shook my head. “Hope it's not zombies to blame.” To myself, of course, I noted that zombies don’t exist at all, but I wanted to calm the boy down. Moreover, I didn’t have any answers to what was happening. Only questions. “And why did we come here at all...”

“To assess the situation…” Katsu's sister suggested.

“But why?”

“Don't you know?” Yumi stared at me in genuine surprise. "Neko Corp is a subsidiary of the Research Institute, where our mother and your father work.”

“A subsidiary?” I gasped. Then it’s clear why dad had a pass card. And I didn't even think to ask...

“Well, yes,” Yumi nodded, “didn’t your dad tell you?”

He didn’t… from which I immediately felt offensive. He only promised to take me to work with him soon, but... He could have said what this enterprise is, and not just casually mentioning that they are engaged in robotics. What is it?! Seeing In the light of the flashing lights how Dad and Naomi-san along with a man in military uniform, went somewhere behind a large black van that was parked nearby, I gritted my teeth and jumped out of the car.

“Hotaru, come back!” Yumi managed to shout, but I had already slammed the door and walked in the direction where dad and Naomi-san had disappeared.

**[&Play the soundtrack while reading the next episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x7zqB78yq4) **

To be honest, when I got out, my resolve immediately diminished, especially when two doctors had driven past me a gurney on which lay a seriously wounded man. And the sight of the military men with weapons also added uncertainty. I watched the departing ambulance and, turning around, almost collided with one of the rescuers, and when I finally got to the van I needed, a tall man in military uniform and with a machine gun blocked my way.

“Young lady, you can't go any further,” he began, but Naomi-san appeared from behind the van.

“Hotaru?” she surprised, coming up. “What are you doing here?”

“Where is my dad?” I frowned incredulously. Then he appeared... Only now he was wearing a bulletproof vest over his clothes, on both legs some kind of hip bags with something similar to combat checkers, on his shoulder... was a machine gun? Honestly, I even rubbed my eyes, but no... the huge military weapon hasn’t disappeared anywhere.

“Da-ad...”

“Taru, why are you here?” he was very surprised to see me. “I told you to wait in the car.”

“So this is her?” Asked another soldier behind my father's back.

“Yes, this is my daughter,” father turned to him, “but the term is the same: she will not participate in this.” The soldier frowned in displeasure in response.

“What does all this mean?..” Without listening, I put out trembling hands, palms up, silently asking for explanations.

“Just in case,” Dad zipped up his bulletproof vest and adjusted his glasses. “Hotaru, I have to leave for a while, and you stay with Naomi-san.”

“Leave? Where to?!” I couldn’t believe my ears. Is he going to abandon me here? Go somewhere? “I'm with you!”

“Out of the question, Taru, too dangerous,” he immediately objected sharply. “The search team and I are going to examine the scene of the incident in more detail, you shouldn’t go there.”

“W-what?..” I was instantly paralyzed, and the ground began to leave from under my feet. Dad wants to go to... this scary building? He’s crazy, not otherwise. “What for?”

“There are… some reasons. Rescue teams need someone who can navigate well.”

“But why you, dad?!” I insisted, already inwardly panicking. “You are a scientist, but not a military man!”

“Taru, look at me,” he sat down in front of me and grabbed my shoulders, “look at me. There may still be people in there, and I'm one of the few here who knows this building, access codes, and the security system.”

“So is it true?” I gasped. “Yumi said this company is related to your job... You didn't say.”

It seems that he felt embarrassed... Dad sighed heavily and squeezed my shoulders tighter:

“I'll tell you. I will definitely tell you everything when I return. I planned to do this when we come to my work together, but...” at that moment the blue glow in the sky above the skyscraper’s roof flashed for a second, along with this there was a loud crackling, and everything fell silent again. “In general, not now,” dad finished, when we looked at each other again, “there may still be employees of our research institute in the building. I can't leave my people, I need to check everything.”

We hugged. No, on the one hand, despite the offense, I understood everything, strong arguments, no matter what happened, if there were wounded inside, they need help. But on the other - why exactly my dad? There must be others here, more experienced... And yet... why are the military going with dad... with machine guns? Why did dad put on this uniform... and also took the weapon? What does it mean: just in case?

“I'm scared, dad... Please don't go there...” I managed to squeeze out, clenching my hands tighter. No idea what could have happened there at all, but a premonition... I had a persistent sense of danger that didn’t disappear anywhere, it seemed to lurk somewhere in the depths of the skyscraper, as if waiting, and this blue flash on the roof... Something inexplicable. One thing I knew for sure: dad and the military men shouldn’t go there.

“Everything will be fine,” he pulled away, his palms slid over my forearms and slightly squeezed the fingers of both hands, “I’ll be back soon and we will go home. In the meantime, look after Yumi and Katsu, okay?” his gaze slid to Naomi, and I turned to the car, where her children were still waiting. Look after them... I'm the eldest... but still afraid. “Taru, do you hear me?”

“What?” I shuddered and turned back to my dad. “Yes… Yes-yes.”

“Wonderful.” Dad got up and let me go, then he turned to Naomi, who was still standing next to him: “Take care of her while I'm gone.”

“Of course,” the woman put both hands on my right shoulder. "Soichi..." She wanted to say something, but words stuck in her throat.

“Everything will be alright,” he smiled at her and lightly tapped his index finger on his left temple: “Sense, as always, is with me.”

She smiled strangely, and at that moment someone from the military behind my father's back called:

“Dr. Tomoe, we must hurry!”

“Coming,” he nodded and mockly cheerfully touched me with his right index finger on the nose: “Hotaru, don’t be sad, I’ll return soon.”

In response I just nodded with restraint, and dad along with the military men went to the main entrance to the building. The doors were knocked out, so the entire squad of eight people simply went inside and disappeared from view. Again medics drove past us a gurney, on which lay another wounded man in a white coat. I grabbed Naomi-san's hand that was still holding my shoulder and looked up again. This strange blue glow going off into the clouds... What the hell is going on there?

**Soundtracks (with chapter episodes):**

1) Sailor Moon Crystal OST - Legend Of The Moon; (Hotaru and Pluto meet in the dream)

2) Sailor Moon Super OST - Pure Heart; (morning)

3) Dreamfall Chapters Reborn OST - Therapy; (session with Dr. Ogawa)

4) Naruto OST - Sakura's Theme; (in the park)

5) Sailor Moon Crystal OST - Hotaru's Theme; (Hotaru and Naomi)

6) Fallout OST - Metallic Monks / Lost Hills; (accident)

7) Dragon Age: Inquisition OST - Champions Of The Just (Hotaru's father tells her that he must take part in a search and rescue operation)

**Author's Note:**

> So I got the idea to make Hotaru Sailor Pluto's daughter in this fic. It would add more dramatic events then. On the one hand, her father, Tomoe Soichi, whobecame one of the leaders of a secret government organization and after being obsessed by the Apostle of Death, retained the ability to sense the presence of demons. On the other hand, her mother, Mayo Seitsuna, aka Sailor Pluto. And Hotaru - Sailor Saturn - in the middle, can she somehow reconcile the family and convince Sailor Warriors and the military to unite against a common threat, and also, probably, meet her future love.


End file.
